HANDBOOK 



FOR THE 



Beginner's Home Study 



IX THE 



Word of God. 



By 

CARL MANTHEY-ZORN, 

Pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cleveland, O. 



Translated by H. M. Zorn and J. A. Rim bach. 




St. Louis, Mo. 

COXCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE 

1907. 



~BX sobs 



ViO* 



PREFACE. 

This book was written that it might be placed into the 
hands of adults who need and desire, or are willing to accept, 
an instruction in the Christian doctrine. A pastor or mis- 
sionary is not always, perhaps even rarely, able to personally 
give such instruction in a measure really adequate. He looks 
about for a book which he might put into the hands of those 
whom he wishes to instruct. Naturally he thinks of the Bible 
History and a short exposition of Dr. M. Luther's Small Cate- 
chism. Could better books be found ? Certainly not. But 
I would ask everyone that has had some experience in the 
matter, if the desired end can be gained by these books. Are 
they read and studied, — especially the exposition of the Cate- 
chism ? Without a doubt, the answer will be a more or less 
modified No. A teacher is needed. 

Xow, in order to supply my own want, as well as that of 
others, I have in this book compiled a very brief Bible History 
and a short exposition of the Catechism, and have given it in 
the manner in which I have for years instructed adults. I have 
endeavored to speak simply and intelligibly to everyone. I do 
not take for granted either human learning or religious knowl- 
edge. Only in the latter part of the book I expect the reader 
to have some spiritual understanding. I have tried to held 
the reader's attention. The Bible History is given in the words 
of Scripture. The exposition of the Catechism is that of the 
church of the true faith, and addresses the reader in the manner 
of a teacher. The arrangement of the material may be seen 
from the Contents, and conforms to the conceptions of those 
who know little or nothing of the Christian doctrine. 

I commend this book to the Lord of the Church. 

G. M. ZORN. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I 


" 


II 


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III 


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IV 


(( 


V 


(C 


VI 


a 


VII 


it 


VIII 


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IX. 


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X. 


a 


XI. 


a 


XII. 


a 


XIII. 


(i 


XIV. 


(( 


XV. 



XVI. 



a 


XVII. 


tt 


XVIII. 


a 


XIX. 


a 


XX. 


a 


XXI. 


(( 


XXII. 


Chapter I. 


« 


II. 


a 


III. 


(i 


IV. 


(i 


V. 


« 


VI. 


tt 


VII. 


" 


VIII. 



Part One. page 

The Natural Knowledge of God 1 

The Bible 5 

The Creation 9 

The Fall 13 

Sin 18 

The First Gospel 21 

The Holy Trinity 24 

The People of the First 1500 Years of the World 29 

The Flood 33 

The Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Languages. . . 37 

Abraham, the Forefather of the Chosen People of God 39 

Isaac. Jacob, and Judah, the Xext to Receive the Promise 43 

Mioses 47 

The Giving of the Law upon Sinai 52 

The Ten Commandments according to the Version and 

Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism ~y^ 

The Forty Years' Journey through the Desert and the 

Conquest of Canaan 67 

Samuel and Saul 09 

King David 75 

King Solomon, the Building of the Temple, the Division 

of the Kingdom, and the Babylonian Captivity 80 

The Return from the Babylonian Captivity 82 

The Later Destinies of the Jewish Nation 80 

The Prophets in Israel and their Prophecies 88 

Part Two. 

How God Sent His Son, Born of a Woman 95 

How John Administered His Office, and How Jesus En- 
tered Upon His Office 101 

How Jesus Worked Miracles 105 

How Jesus Receiveth Sinners 114 

How God Wills that We Should Hear the Word of Jesus 

in the Holy Scriptures 118 

How Jesus Suffered and Died for Us 122 

How Jesus Rose from the Dead 134 

How Jesus Ascended into Heaven 141 



VI 



Chapter IX. 



X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 
XIV. 

XV. 



11 


XVI. 


a 


XVII. 


a 


XVIII. 


ec 


XIX. 


Chapter I. 


a 


II. 


ee 


III. 


a 


IV. 


ee 


V. 


ee 


VI. 


" 


VII. 


" 


VIII. 


ee 


IX. 



PAGE 

How the Holy Ghost was Poured Out Upon the Dis- 
ciples, How Peter Preached the First Pentecostal Ser- 
mon, and How a Christian Congregation was Gath- 
ered in Jerusalem 143 

The Creed 145 

The First Article of the Holy Christian Creed 148 

Of the Person of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . . 153 

Of the Office of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. .... 158 
Of the State of Humiliation of Our Lord and Savior 

Jesus Christ 165 

Of the State of Exaltation of Our Lord and Savior Jesus 

Christ 171 

Of the Holy Ghost and of Sanctification 183 

Of the Church 197 

Of the Forgiveness of Sins 211 

Of the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting 219 

Part Three. 

Of Prayer 227 

The Lord's Prayer 231 

A Few Words to Show what is a "Means of Grace" and 

what is a "Sacrament" 238 

Of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism 241 

More About Holy Baptism 247 

Of the Office of the Keys 250 

Of Confession .' 263 

Of the Lord's Supper .267 

A Few Closing Remarks on Confirmation 283 



Part One. 



>>Kc 



CHAPTER I. 

The Natural Knowledge of God. 

There is a God. 

You know this. Everybody knows this. For everyone beholds 
the wonderful creation. Hence every person knows that there must 
be a God, a wonderful God, who has created all things, and still 
preserves them. 

The Bible therefore says : "That which may be known of God 
is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For 
the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even 
His eternal power and Godhead ; so that they are without excuse," 
Eom. 1, 19. 20. "For every house is builded by some man ; but he 
that built all things is God," Hebr. 3, 4. 

What is God? 

God is an invisible being, a Spirit. "God is a Spirit," says 
the Bible, John 4, 24. You cannot see God, nor should you imagine 
that He has this or that appearance. God has no body, as we have ; 
He is incorporeal. 

God is eternal. He is without beginning and without end. 
He is from everlasting to everlasting. The Bible says : "Lord, 
Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the 
mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth 
and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God," 
Ps. 90, 1. 2. God is unchangeable, ever and eternally the same. 
"Thou art the same," Ps. 102, 27. 

God is omnipresent. He is everywhere. There is no place 
where God is not. In the Scriptures God says of Himself : "Am I 
not a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can 
any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith 
the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord," Jer. 23, 
23. 24. And the Bible says : "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? 
or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into 



heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou 
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the 
uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead, me, and 
Thy right hand shall hold me," Ps. 139, 7—10. 

God is almighty. He can do all things, even such as appear 
utterly impossible to you. "With God nothing shall be impossible," 
Luke 1, 37. 

God is omniscient. He knows all things. His is an infinite 
knowledge and wisdom. The Bible says: "0 Lord, Thou hast 
searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and 
mine uprising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou 
compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with 
all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, Lord, 
Thou knowest it altogether. ... If I say, Surely, the darkness shall 
cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness 
hideth not from Thee ; but the night shineth as the day : the dark- 
ness and the light are both alike to Thee," Ps. 139, 1—4. 11. 12. 

God is holy. He is not unholy, or sinful, as we are. His holi- 
ness is without a spot. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts," says 
the Bible, Is. 6, 3. 

God is just. He does no one an injustice. He wrongs no man. 
He rewards the good, and punishes the evil. "0 Lord, righteous- 
ness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces," Dan. 9, 7. 

God is truthful. God does not deceive. Whatever God says is 
the truth. Whatsoever He promises He will carry out. "For the 
Word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth," 
Ps. 33, 4. 

God is benevolent, merciful, and gracious. "God is love," says 
the Bible, 1 John 4, 8. God is love itself. He is an ocean of pure 
love. All the love you may find on earth is but a faint shadow of 
His love. — Later on we shall hear more of this, for we wish to talk 
of this expressly and at greater length. 

Now all that has just been said of God you know, having a 
faint perception of it by nature. So much everybody knows. So 
much has been written in every man's heart. So much belongs to 
the natural knowledge of God. 

Part of this, too, is the natural knowledge of the Law 
of God. 

Every man knows something, by nature, of the Law of God. 
The Law of God, — what is that? It is God's will as to how we 



should be, and what we should do and not do. Of this every man 
knows something by nature. It is written in his heart. 

This is shown by the conscience, which is found in every man, 
to a greater or less degree. If you do something good, you are 
satisfied. If you do something bad, your heart throbs, you have 
an evil conscience, even though no one else knows what you have 
done. Why is this? This is because you know about God and 
about the Law of God, because this has been engraved upon 
your heart. 

Parental discipline also gives proof of the natural knowledge 
of God. Parents want to train their children unto good and away 
from evil. — Just so it is with the divine order of civil govern- 
ment, which, as the Bible says, "is the minister of God, a revenger 
to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil," Eom. 13, 4. — Proof 
of this, also, are the morals, or teachings of propriety, which are 
more or less in vogue all over the earth. 

That everybody by nature knows about the Law of God is 
stated in the Bible in the following words : "For when the Gen- 
tiles, which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained 
in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a law unto themselves : 
which show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their 
conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while 
accusing, or else excusing one another; in the day when God shall 
judge the secrets of men/' Rom. 2, 14 — 16. 

So every man by nature has some knowledge of sin, and guilt, 
and the judgment of God after death. Therefore the Bible says 
of the godless and boldly sinning heathen: "Who knowing the 
judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy 
of death/' and : "Their conscience also bearing witness, and their 
thoughts the mean while accusing, or else excusing one another; 
in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men/' Rom. 1, 32; 
2, 15. 16. 

Against this natural knowledge of God atheism wages war. 
Atheism is the insolent godlessness of those who, in contradiction 
to their own inborn and better knowledge and to the voice of 
conscience, say, "There is no God." Of these atheists the Bible 
says: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They 
are corrupt, they have done abominable works/' Ps. 14, 1. 

The idolatry of the heathen also contends against this natural 
knowledge of God. Listen to what the Bible says about this: 



4 

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as 
God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, 
and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to 
be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncor- 
ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to 
birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore 
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their 
own hearts," Eom. 1, 21 — 24. 

Still another enemy of this natural knowledge of God is 
modern agnosticism. Agnosticism is that shameless and wanton 
claim put forth by such as assert against their own inborn better 
knowledge and conscience: "As to whether there is a God or not, 
where the world comes from, whether there is a life after death 
or not, etc., nothing can be said or known by anybody as actually 
and undeniably true, and so we don't want to know anything 
about this." This agnosticism is fashionable to-day. To this 
agnosticism the words of Scripture apply: "Even as they did not 
like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a 
reprobate mind," Eom. 1, 28. 

And furthermore we find inimical to this natural knowledge 
of God the bold and unbridled profligacy of those who say, "Let 
us enjoy life ! Life is short. Let us eat and drink, let us go 
whoring and carousing ; for to-morrow we are dead !" Of such 
as these the Bible says : "Who knowing the judgment of God, that 
they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do 
the same, but have pleasure in them that do them," Eom. 1, 32. 

Finally, all indifference whatsoever strives against the natural 
knowledge of God, to-wit, that careless life which people lead who 
want to be concerned only about earthly and temporal things; 
who are satisfied to let God alone, if He will let them alone; who 
do not regard the Law of God, think lightly of their conscience^ 
hold the judgment of God in utter disregard, and who say, "I 
march in the big procession. Whatever becomes of the rest will 
become of me, too." — How is this, you vain man ? Is it to such 
an end you find it written in your heart that there is a God, an 
eternal, omnipresent, almighty, all-knowing, holy, just, truthful, 
benevolent, gracious, and merciful God? Is the Law of God 
written in your heart to this end, the Law that reminds you of 
your sin, and guilt, and the judgment to come? 



to what end, then, should the natural knowledge of 
God serve man? 

It should serve man to the end that he ma}' know, repent, and 
shun his sin, fear the judgment of God, and seek the Lord, if 
haply he might feel after Him and find Him. 

The Bible says: "God that made the world and all things 
therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not 
in temples made by hands; neither is worshiped by men's hands, 
as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and 
breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations 
of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath deter- 
mined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habi- 
tation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel 
after Him and find Him, though He be not far from every one 
of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being," 
Acts 17, 24—28. 

Seek, then, your God, child of man, in deep earnest, with 
strong desire ! 

And I will show you a perfect way in which you can find Him. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Bible. 

The natural knowledge of God, about which we have heard 
in the first chapter, is imperfect. True, it can and should per- 
suade us to seek God. But for really finding God, that is, for 
knowing God fully, and truly, and in such a manner that we can 
cheerfully and happily take comfort in Him in life and death, in 
time and eternity, — for this, indeed, the natural knowledge of 
God is insufficient. Xor is it calculated to achieve this result. 
No doubt you are aware of this. 

But God has given us a special, a revealed knowledge of Him- 
self. It is the knowledge of God which is presented to us in the 
Bible. This is a perfect one. The knowledge of God which is 
given us in the Bible is entirely sure, safe, and reliable, firm and 
unchangeable, unwavering and unfaltering; it is more than abun- 
dantly sufficient, and expressly designed to give us a thorough and 
true knowledge of God, so that we can cheerfully and happily take 
comfort in Him in life and death, in time and eternity, in short, 



that we may truly find God. Yes, indeed, such is the revealed 
knowledge of God which is presented to us in the Bible. 

For, what is the Bible? 

The Bible is a book, or rather a collection of books and letters. 
These books and letters have been written at various times : before 
the birth of Christ and soon after the birth of Christ. And they 
have been written by various men. These men are called Prophets, 
Evangelists, and Apostles. But everything, mark you ! everything 
that these men wrote was given them by inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost : He made them write it. Therefore the Bible is really and 
truly the Word of God. Every word of the Bible is God's word. 
Hence the Bible is called the Holy Scriptures, or Holy Writ. And 
in this Bible, in this Holy Writ, in this His Word, God so reveals 
Himself to us, that, as I have said, we can know Him fully and 
truly, and in such a manner that we can cheerfully and happily 
take comfort in Him in life and death, in time and eternity, — 
that we can actually find God, find in Him our dear, our recon- 
ciled and gracious God, who saves us for evermore. 

Will you carefully consider what I have just said about 
the Bible? 

Briefly, then — what is the Bible? It is the Word of God, 
which the Prophets, in the time before Christ, and the Evangelists 
and Apostles, in the time soon after Christ, have written by the 
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to instruct us unto salvation through 
the right and true knowledge of God. 

That, in the manner just described, it is the Word of God, 
this is what the Bible claims for itself. 

The Bible says : "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the 
Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came 
not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake 
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost/' 2 Pet. 1, 20. 21. 

An apostle says in the Bible: "Which things also we speak, 
not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the 
Holy Ghost teacheth," 1 Cor. 2, 13. 

The Bible says: "And that from a child thou hast known 
the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto sal- 
vation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for 
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the 
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good 



works," 2 Tim. 3, 15 — 17. My dear reader, here it is said that 
the Holy Scriptures can make you wise unto salvation "through 
faith which is in Christ Jesus." About Jesus Christ and faith 
in Him you may not know as yet. But you shall be fully told in 
this book. At present I will only say that faith in Christ Jesus 
is the full and true knowledge of God and reliance on Him. 

When the Prophets introduce a statement in the Bible, they 
very often, and again and again, say : "Thus saith the Lord," or : 
"The word of the Lord came unto me," or something similar. To 
adduce an example, you may see this for yourself if you look up 
in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, the 18th chapter. It begins 
with the words : "The word of the Lord came unto me." In v. 23 
you read : "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? 
saith the Lord God : and not that he should turn from his ways, 
and live?" So the Prophets show that they do not utter their 
own, but God's words. 

And finally, when in later writings of the Bible words of 
former writers are quoted, you often read : "As the Holy Ghost 
saith," or: "Which the Holy Ghost spake by the prophet." See, 
for instance, Hebr. 3, 7, and Acts 28, 25. 

Hence it is clear that the Bible claims for itself that it is 
God's Word, which the Prophets, in the time before Christ, and 
the Evangelists and Apostles, in the time after Christ, have written 
by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to make us wise unto salva- 
tion through the right and true knowledge of God. 

But how can a max know assuredly that the Bible 
actually is the word of god ? 

Yes, this is the great and important question upon which 
everything depends. 

The answer is simple, plain, and brief. 

It is this : — 

If you want to know assuredly, if you wish to gain the certain 
and undoubting conviction that the Bible is God's Word, and its 
doctrine God's own truth and revelation, then, — hear now and 
take to heart what I say ! — then you must seek God in full earnest, 
according to His will; and with such earnest and with such a 
desire you must read the Bible and learn to know its teachings. 
Then you will most assuredly gain the certain and undoubting 
conviction that the Bible is God's Word, and that its teachings are 
God's truth and revelation. Then you will find God in the Bible; 



you will know God in all truth, and in such a manner that you 
can cheerfully and happily take comfort in Him in life and death, 
in time and eternity ; you will find God your dear, reconciled, and 
gracious God, who saves you for evermore. 

Will you also consider well what I have just now said? 

That these things are as I have just presented them, is testi- 
fied by the true and only Prophet and Apostle, 1 ) whose servants 
all Prophets and Evangelists and Apostles are, and concerning 
whom they all wrote, and in whose name and power they all wrote, 
viz., Jesus Christ. He says : "My doctrine is not mine, but His 
that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the 
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself," 
John 7, 16. 17. 

Let us consider these words of Jesus Christ a little. 

First He says: "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent 
me." Jesus Christ in these words says that His doctrine and that 
of all of His Prophets and Evangelists and Apostles, in short, 
the doctrine of the Bible, is not gotten up and invented by them, 
but is the doctrine of God, of God, who sent Him. 

Then He says: "If any man will do His will, he shall know 
of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of 
myself." In these words He tells us how a man may know 
assuredly, and gain the certain and undoubting conviction that 
the Bible is God's Word and teaching, and not man's word and 
teaching. How? If a man will so read and contemplate the 
Bible and its doctrine that thereby he wants to do God's will. But 
what is the will of God ? We know what it is, for we have already 
heard of it. The will of God is, that we seek God, that we seek 
God in full earnest, that we might truly know Him and find Him. 
He, therefore, who reads and contemplates the Bible and its teach- 
ings in such a way that in so doing he seeks God, shall assuredly 
know, and gain the certain and undoubting conviction that the 
Bible is God's Word and teaching. 

So says Jesus Christ. 

And this is what He means when He says: "Search the 
Scriptures!" John 5, 39. 

Now, then, do the will of God, my beloved fellow-man ! Seek 
God ! Seek God in the Bible ! Seek your God, fellow-man, in 



1) Deut. 18, 15—19; Hebr. 3, 1. 



full earnest, with strong desire ! Do be instructed by God's Book ! 
Do the will of God ! Seek God in the Bible ! Doing so, you will 
find Him. Yea, most assuredly you will find Him ! You will 
know Him in all truth, and in such a manner that you can cheer- 
fully and happily take comfort in Him in life and death, in time 
and eternity; you will find in Him your dear, reconciled, and 
gracious God, who saves you for evermore. And thus you will 
know assuredly, and gain the certain and undoubting conviction, 
that the Bible is God's Word and teaching. 

Did you fully understand me? 

But,— 

But if one reads the Bible differently ; if he does not read the 
Bible in such a way that thereby he desires to do the will of God, 
and to seek and to find God; if he reads the Bible merely for 
pastime; or if a man even reads the Bible in such a way as to 
allow human reason to sit in judgment over this book, or to con- 
tradict it, — such a one will not find God in the Bible, nor will 
he gain the conviction that the Bible is God's Word; on the con- 
trary, he will be offended at the Bible, it will be a stumbling-block 
to him, and he will become more and more estranged from God. 

Eemember this ! 

Do you want to read the Bible in such a way as to seek God 
therein, and find Him? 

Then continue to read in this book. It will place before your 
eyes, very briefly and simply, the chief doctrines of the Bible, and 
so introduce you into the Bible. 

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye 
do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark 
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts," 
2 Pet. 1, 19. 

CHAPTER III. 

The Creation. 

Let me begin by giving you an abstract of the Biblical account 
of the creation of heaven and earth and all that therein is. 

The Bible gives the following account : — 

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness 
was upon the face of the deep. 



10 

"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

"And God said, Let there be light : and there was light. And 
God divided the light from the darkness, and called the light Day,, 
and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morn- 
ing were the first day. 

"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the 
waters: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. 
And the evening and the morning were the second day. 

"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered 
together unto one place: and it was so. And God called the dry 
land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He 
Seas. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb, 
and the fruit tree : and it was so. And the evening and the morn- 
ing were the third day. 

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven 
to give light upon the earth. And God made the greater light to 
rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the 
stars also. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the 
moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the 
earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great 
whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters 
brought forth, and every winged fowl. And God blessed them, 
saying, Be fruitful, and multiply. And the evening and the morn- 
ing were the fifth day. 

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature, 
cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth: and it was so. 
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness :: 
and let them have dominion over all the earth. So God created 
man in His own image, in the image of God created He him ; male 
and female created He them. And God blessed them, and said 
unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and 
subdue it. And God saw everything that He had made, and, be- 
hold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were 
the sixth day. 

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the 
host of them. 

"And God rested on the seventh day from all the works which 
He had made, and blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." 



11 

And, in particular, about the creation of man the Biblical 
account runs thus : — 

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became 
a living soul. 

"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden. And out of 
the ground made He to grow every tree that is pleasant to the 
sight and good for food; and the tree of life also in the midst 
of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of 
Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every 
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the 
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should 
be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the Lord 
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam : and He took one of 
his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib the 
Lord God made a woman, and brought her unto the man. 

"And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh 
of my flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife. 
and were not ashamed." 

From the foregoing account you see that the almighty God 
made everything out of nothing, through His word; and you see 
how it was done. 

About all of this human wisdom, though it investigate the 
matter ever so much and brood over it ever so long, can know 
nothing. But, nevertheless, it will investigate and brood, and it 
wants to be wiser than the Bible. However, it becomes foolishness. 
Let not that deceive you. Simply believe the Bible. "Through 
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of 
God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which 
do appear," says the Bible Hebr. 11, 3. And of God it says: "He 
hath done whatsoever He hath pleased," Ps. 115, 3. 

From the foregoing account you also see that man is the 
foremost of the visible creatures. For unto man God Himself has 
prepared the body with great care; He gave him a rational soul; 
He made him lord of the earth; and, what is most important, He 
created man in His own image. 



12 

The question, Wherein did the image of God consist? the 
Bible answers as follows: In blissful knowledge of God, and in 
perfect righteousness and holiness. ' (Col. 3, 10; Eph. 4, 24.) 
Adam and Eve, the first people, had a pure, clean, clear, and un- 
clouded knowledge of God. And this knowledge made them a 
reflex, an image, so to speak, of God: God's holiness and right- 
eousness was reflected in them, and filled them with its divine 
light, and made them, also, perfectly holy, and righteous, and 
blissful, — how blissful ! 

So much, briefly, about the visible creatures of God. 

But there are also invisible creatures of God. 

Among them the angels are foremost. 

I will briefly tell you what the Bible says about them. 

The angels have their abode in heaven. Matt. 18, 10 ; 22, 30. 
— Where and how this heaven is the Bible does not tell us. 

They are rational spirits. Throughout the Bible, wherever 
you may read of them, you will find the angels described as rational 
spirits. 

And they are holy, and sons of God. Matt. 25, 31; Job 38, 7. 

God created them in the beginning, when He created the 
heavens and the earth. Job 38, 4 — 7 you may read that the 
"sons of God," the holy angels, were glad, praised God, and shouted 
for joy, when God so gloriously and wisely prepared the earth. 
Hence they were not created later than this. 

And they were all created at once, in large, uncounted num- 
bers. With them there is not man, woman, and child, as with us. 
They do not propagate their kind. They neither marry nor are 
given in marriage. Matt. 22, 30; Dan. 7, 10. 

They also have no body, as we have, but they are spirits. 
Hebr. 1, 14. We cannot understand, now, how this is. 

But they are strong and powerful. Ps. 103, 20. And they are 
quick. Dan. 9, 21 — 23. In a moment they can come from heaven 
to earth. 

And they are blissful, eternally blissful. They always behold 
the face of God. Matt. 18, 10. 

And what do they do? How do they live? What is their 
occupation? They praise God, execute His commands, and serve 
men. Ps. 103, 20. 21; Hebr. 1, 14. To praise God is infinite joy 
for them. In executing God's commands they find endless occu- 
pation. And in serving men there also is joy for them, — and 



13 

for us ; if only we were fully aware of it ! Many touching ex- 
amples are told us in the Bible of how the angels serve us. 

But there are also angels who are evil, fallen from God, and 
very unhappy. About these you shall hear in the next chapter. 

About the invisible creatures of God, and especially the angels, 
human wisdom knows nothing. And human folly scoffs at them. 

So much about the creation of heaven and earth. 



CHAPTER IV. 
The Fall. 



In the foregoing chapter I have said that there also are evil 
angels who have fallen from God into perdition. 

Let me tell you, briefly, what the Bible says about the evil 

ANGELS. 

The evil angels were created good and holy by God. In the 
beginning they were numbered among the good angels, partaking 
of their nature and of their properties. But of their free will, 
and upon their own impulse they fell from God, and became evil. 
There are very many evil angels. One, however, is their prince 
and leader. He is called, the Devil, or Satan. By him came the 
first sin; he sins from the beginning, that is, he made the be- 
ginning of sin. As to how this was done, the Bible gives us not 
the least information. It merely reports that it was done. It 
says : "The devil sinneth from the beginning/' 1 John 3, 8. "The 
devil abode not in the truth," John 8, 44. "The angels which 
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation," Jude 6. 
"Angels that sinned," 2 Pet. 2, 4. "And He (Jesus) asked him, 
What is thy name ? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, 
for we are many," Mark 5, 9. 

These evil angels are eternally banished from God. They are 
damned, and have no hope of salvation. True, at present they 
still have some restricted liberty, which permits them to come on 
earth; but the great day of judgment is coming, on which the}' 
shall be cast into hell for all eternity. The Bible says : "The angels 
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He 
hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judg- 
ment of the great day," Jude 6. And: "God spared not the 



14 

angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them, 
into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," 2 Pet. 2, 4. 

Thus the evil angels became the declared enemies of God. 
They hate and blaspheme God. They seek to destroy the works 
of God. They are also our enemies. They are unceasingly intent 
upon drawing us with them down to perdition. Therefore the 
Bible says : "Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary the 
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may 
devour," 1 Pet. 5, 8. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, 
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of 
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high 
places," Eph. 6, 12. 

And now I must speak of the fall of man, which occurred in 
the garden of Eden, in Paradise. 

This event the Bible recounts as follows : — 

"Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the 
field. And he said unto the woman, — " 

But stop ! What sort of a serpent was that ? How could 
it talk? 

That serpent was a serpent that the Lord God had made. 
But the Devil, the evil spirit, was with her. He had crept into 
Paradise, and hidden in the serpent, to tempt man unto sin, and 
so to plunge him into the same destruction in which he was with 
all his evil angels. He caused the serpent to speak ; he spoke 
through the serpent and out of the serpent. This is witnessed by 
the Bible, Eev. 12, 9 : "And the great dragon was cast out, that 
old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the 
whole world." 

Now we will return to our Biblical narrative : — 

"Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field 
which the Lord God had made. And he (the Devil) said unto 
the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of 
the garden? 

"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the 
fruit of the trees of the garden : but of the fruit of the tree which 
is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, 
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely 
die : for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your 
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 



15 

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 
and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit 
thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; 
and he did eat. 

"And the eyes of both of them were opened, and the}' knew 
that the} 7 were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and 
made themselves aprons. 

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the 
garden : and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence 
of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 

"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, 
Where art thou? 

"And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was 
afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 

"And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast 
thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou 
shouldest not eat? 

"And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be 
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

"And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that 
thou hast done? 

"And the woman said. The serpent beguiled me, and I 
did eat. 

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast 
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle. And I will put enmity 
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; 
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

"Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sor- 
row and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth chil- 
dren; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule 
over thee. 

"And unto Adam He said, Cursed is the ground for thy 
sake. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee. 
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto 
the ground : for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make 
coats of skins, and clothed them. And He drove out the man; 
and He placed at the east end of the garden of Eden cherubims 
(angels), and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep 
the way of the tree of life." 



16 

This is the very simple account of Scriptures of that very- 
sad and dire fall of man. 

Shall we reflect a little on this account? 

God had created Adam and Eve holy, and given them much 
happiness. Just think: the beautiful earth, the resplendent 
heaven, the Paradise, — all was theirs ! 

Now the Devil came, in the serpent, and sought to make them 
distrustful of God's word and command. Of what word and 
command? God had said unto them: "Of every tree of the 
garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge 
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that 
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." God wanted His holy 
and happy children to manifest their obedience in this simple 
manner. If they failed to do this, they could not remain holy 
and happy children of God, but had to die. God told them this. 
Of this word and command Satan sought to make them distrust- 
ful, and to tempt them into disobedience; in this way he sought 
to make them fall from God and into sin. 

Note how cunningly he went about this work. He came in 
the serpent, an animal that was known and liked of men. And 
he spoke the crafty and doubt-instilling words : "Yea, hath God 
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden ?" As if to say : 
Indeed, does God not permit you to eat of every tree in the 
garden? Then why did He plant them? What reason might 
He have for doing so? 

Did Adam and Eve know that there was a Devil and evil 
angels? I cannot tell. But they did know that a serpent cannot 
talk, and hence, that back of the serpent and in the serpent there 
was some other power. Nor was that power a good power, to be 
sure. Therefore they should not have listened to the serpent, that 
is, the Devil, at all. 

But they did listen to him. Eve, whom the Devil had first 
addressed, said : "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the 
garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the 
garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch 
it, lest ye die." 

The Devil saw that he had made an impression. He saw 
that Eve, and Adam too, wondered why God had forbidden to eat 
of that one tree, and what might be the secret of that tree. Had 
they not caught at the suggestion of the Devil? Upon this the 



17 

Devil took a firm hold. He said: "Ye shall not surely die: for 
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall 
be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Yon 
see, he presented God to them as a liar, and as one who wanted 
to keep them in ignorance and servitude. And he promised them 
wisdom and grandeur like that of God. 

And this fiery dart kindled. Yes, they took God to be a liar 
and His word to be deceitful. Indeed, they took God to be one who 
wanted to keep them in ignorance and servitude. And they wanted 
to know what He had concealed from them. They wanted to be as 
gods. And they cast away God's word and command, and they 
believed and followed the word of the Devil. And they did that 
thing which God had forbidden. "The woman saw that the tree 
was good for food, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, and 
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her 
husband with her ; and he did eat." 

Tli at was the sin which Adam and Eve committed; and what 
a great sin that was ! That was the fall of Adam and Eve ; and 
what a deep fall that was ! 

Ignorant, frivolous, and insolent fools ridicule this so-called 
apple-stealing of Adam and Eve. Yes, back of this "apple-stealing" 
was the most complete fall from God. Back of it was the Devil 
himself. That certainly is clear, is it not? 

For, now behold into what a miserable condition Adam and 
Eve had come immediately, through this their fall in sin and away 
from God. 

Their eyes were opened now, and they knew that — they were 
naked. Unclean thoughts, like vultures, entered their hearts. 

They heard the voice of the Lord God in the garden. And 
they fled from God, and hid themselves amongst the trees of the 
garden from the sight of Him who sees all, and who is present 
everywhere. Guilt, and evil conscience, and dread of God, together 
with mad folly, possessed them now. 

God called Adam. And Adam lied: "I heard Thy voice in 
the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid my- 
self." God reproached Adam for falling into sin. And Adam put 
the fault of it on Eve, and, in the last instance, on God: "The 
woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, 
and I did eat." God also reproved Eve. And Eve pointed to the 



18 

serpent. Untruthfulness and surly defiance against God now 
possessed their sinful hearts. 

They had lost the image of God, and had become like unto the 
Devil. "He that committeth sin is of the Devil, for the Devil 
sinneth from the beginning/ 7 1 John 3, 8. 

And what were the consequences, the punishment for all this ? 
Pain and troublesome labor upon an accursed earth, then death, 
and — a forbidden Paradise. 

But the merciful God gave them one hope. And this hope 
He gave them in the words which, in their presence, He addressed 
to the serpent, or rather to the Devil hidden in the serpent : "I will 

PUT ENMITY BETWEEN THEE AND THE SERPENT, AND BETWEEN THY 
SEED AND HER SEED ; IT SHALL BRUISE THY HEAD, AND THOU SHALT 
BRUISE HIS HEEL." 

About these words I shall speak in a separate chapter. 



CHAPTER V. 

Sin. 

In the last chapter we heard the Biblical story about the fall 
of our first parents. 

Now we want to hear what else the Bible teaches concern- 
ing sin. 

What is sin? 

Sin is every departure from God's Word, and Law, and 
command. 

You have seen as much in the story of the fall of our first 
parents. God had given Adam and Eve His Word, and Law, and 
command, and Adam and Eve departed from that. Thus they 
sinned. To sin means to miss, to depart from God's Word. "Who- 
soever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the 
transgression of the Law/ 7 1 John 3, 4. 

By whom was sin brought into the world ? 

By the Devil, who first departed from God, and by man, who 
of his own free will suffered himself to be misled by Satan into sin. 

This, too, you have learned in the foregoing chapter. The 
Devil sins from the beginning. He made the beginning of sin. 
And the first man, Adam, has of his own free will suffered Satan 
to mislead * him and Eve into sin. "He that committeth sin is of 



19 

the Devil; for the Devil sinneth from the beginning/' the Bible 
says, as yon already know, 1 John 3, 8. And on the other hand, 
the Bible also says: "By one man sin entered into the world," 
Eom. 5, 12. 

Now note what I am about to ask and answer. 

HOW MANY KINDS OF SIN ARE THERE? 

There are two kinds : original sin and actual sin. 

What is original sin? 

Original sin is that sin which we have inherited from Adam. 
It is the total depravity of our whole human nature, by which we 
are robbed of that righteousness and holiness in which man was 
created, and are inclined toward all that is evil. 

You have seen that Adam, and Eve also, became sinful. This 
sinfulness of Adam was inherited by all the children of Adam 
when they were begotten of Adam and born of Eve. The Bible 
says : "Adam . . . begat a son in his own likeness, after his image," 
that is to say, a son who was sinful like Adam. Gen. 5, 3. And 
so it is with all men, for all men are descended from Adam. All 
men are sinful, like Adam. All men have inherited sin from 
Adam, and still inherit it. One of the Prophets says, in the Bible, 
through the Holy Ghost: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and 
in sin did my mother conceive me," Ps. 51, 5. An Apostle says 
in the Bible: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth 
no good thing," Eom. 7, 18. By saying, "in my flesh," he means : 
in my nature, as I have received it from father and mother. Jesus 
Christ says in the Bible: "That which is born of the flesh is 
flesh." The meaning of these words is: Whatsoever is born of 
sinful parents is likewise sinful. Hence all men are sinful; all 
men have inherited sin. 

Nor is original sin a small and trifling matter. Not by any 
means. It is not, for instance, to be considered a mere weakness 
of our nature, which would make us more or less inclined to sin, 
while, at the same time, we would still be possessed of many, or 
at least a few, good qualities. Not so. Original sin is the total 
depravity of our whole human nature. We are completely de- 
prived of that righteousness and holiness in which God created 
the human nature. We are inclined toward all that is evil, and 
only toward that which is evil. All of us, without exception, must 
say with the Apostle: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) 
dwelleth no good thing;" in my nature, as I have received it from 



20 

my parents, and farther back from Adam and Eve, there is no 
good thing, none whatever. The Bible says: "The imagination 
of man's heart is evil from his youth/' Gen. 8, 21. Be sure to 
understand. A man may be a good man in the eyes of other men. 
And he may be better than many others. But in the eyes of God, 
and hence, in truth, the nature of every man is totally depraved 
and an abomination. 

That is original sin. 

NOW WHAT IS ACTUAL SIN? 

Actual sin is every transgression of the divine Word, and Law, 
and command, in deeds, and words, and thoughts, and desires. 

Actual sin is original sin in its effects and workings. 

Original sin is the wicked hind and disposition which we 
have inherited. Actual sin is the wickedness which comes from 
this wicked kind and disposition. 

The Bible says : "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur- 
ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies," 
Matt. 15, 19. These are actual sins. 

And what is the consequence of sin? 

Death! 

You have seen this in the Biblical story of the fall of our 
first parents. The Lord had said unto Adam : "In the day that 
thou eatest thereof" (of the forbidden tree) "thou shalt surely 
die." Eve said to the serpent : "Of the fruit of the tree which 
is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, 
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." And when Adam and Eve 
had sinned, the Lord God said unto Adam: "Dust thou art, and 
unto dust shalt thou return," that is to say, thou shalt die. And 
the Bible says : "The wages of sin is death," Bom. 6, 23. 

But what, according to Scriptures, is to be understood 
by death, the wages of sin? 

Thereby is to be understood God's wrath and disfavor, tem- 
poral death, and eternal damnation. 

Yes, and listen, listen, I say, for I dare not conceal it: God's 
wrath and disfavor, temporal death, and eternal damnation, have 
already come upon all men because of original sin. Just as we 
have inherited sin, so we have also inherited God's wrath and dis- 
favor, temporal death, and eternal damnation. Everybody is born 
into God's wrath and disfavor, into temporal death, and into 
eternal damnation, indeed, born into this by nature. 



21 

Yes, that is what the Bible, Holy Writ, God's Word, says. 
God says so. 

In the Bible we not only read: '"Thou art not a God that 
hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with Thee," 
Ps. 5, 4, but in the Bible we also read : "We were by nature the 
children of wrath, even as others." We furthermore read : "Where- 
fore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, 
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," Eom. 
5, 12. And finally we read: "By the offense of one judgment 
came upon all men to condemnation," Eom. 5, 18. 

And so it is. You can see very well that, as all men are born 
into sin, so they are also born into death. For all men must die. 
The new-born babe makes no exception. But where there is death, 
there is also God's wrath and disfavor. There, also, is eternal 
damnation. For the dying of a sinner is the dark path to eternal 
damnation. 

How much more have we deserved God's wrath and disfavor, 
temporal death, and eternal damnation by all our actual sins 
which we have committed and still do commit. 

So it is. So says the Bible. 

And as for you, do not rebel, do not philosophize, do not brood 
upon this, but seek salvation! 

For there is salvation, as you have already heard in the story 
of the fall. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The First Gospel. 

Into the very night of sin, and the darkness of death, into 
which Adam and Eve had come so quickly, the Lord God caused 
a star of hope to shine. 

The Lord God gave the first Gospel. 

"Gospel," originally perhaps "good spell," is a translation of 
"evangel," which is of Greek derivation, and means, "a good 
story," "good news," "good tidings." 

As you know, the Lord God, in the presence of Adam and 
Eve, had said to the serpent, or rather to the Devil concealed in 
the serpent : "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and 
thou shalt bruise his heel," Gen. 3, 15. 



22 

Let me explain what kind of a gospel that was. 

When the evil foe, the Devil, had succeeded in luring Adam 
and Eve, and with them the whole human race, to death, he re- 
joiced and thought that now he had gained a victory, and that 
the matter was decided forever. 

But then the Lord God came and said: "I will put enmity 
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed." 
As if to say: Thou hast gained a victory at present, Satan, but 
not finally. The matter is not decided forever. I shall yet put 
an enmity, a battle, a war between thee and the woman, and be- 
tween thy brood and her children. — It certainly was not agreeable 
news for the Devil, to hear that the matter was not yet decided, 
and that there should be another struggle. But for Adam and Eve 
this was gospel, good news. 

And the Lord God continued and said to the Devil: "It 
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." As if to say : 
The outcome of this struggle will be, that one seed of a woman, 
one man born of woman, will put an end to thee, and deliver 
mankind ; but thou wilt cause him much suffering. — It certainly 
was dreadful for the Devil to hear that his present victory was to 
be turned into a defeat, and the human race to be redeemed. For 
Adam and Eve, however, this was gospel, most glad and blessed 
tidings. 

Note well: through suffering, through a sacrifice on His own 
part, that Seed of a Woman, that man born of a woman, was to 
conquer the Devil, to despoil him of his power over men, to redeem 
man from sin, from the righteous wrath of God, and from death, 
and eternal damnation. 

But could this Eedeemer be a mere man, and nothing more? 
Indeed? A man? A man conceived and born in sin, who would 
himself be subject to the righteous wrath of God, in the pit of 
death and eternal damnation, — should such a man be able to con- 
quer the mighty Devil, despoil him of his power over man, and 
redeem all men from sin, from the righteous wrath of God, and 
from death and eternal damnation ? Impossible ! That was a 
work, forsooth, which God alone could accomplish. 

Hence the Redeemer whom God here promised had to be 
God Himself. 

But did not the Lord God say that a Seed of a Woman, a man 
born of a woman, and, hence, that a man was to do this? 



23 

Yes, and still, — only God could accomplish this. Hence this 
Seed of a Woman, this man, had to be God. God had to become 
man, and redeem mankind. 

This first Gospel could not be understood in any other way. 

And so Adam and Eve did understand it. For when Eve 
bore unto Adam her firstborn son, she thought she now had the 
promised Seed of a Woman, and said: "I have gotten a man 
from the Lord," which words, in a literal translation, read: 
"I have gotten the man the Lord," Gen. 4, 1. She was mistaken 
in the person. Not this man was to be the God-man, the Eedeemer. 
She was also mistaken in regard to the time. The God-man, the 
Eedeemer, was not to come so soon, but much later. She was 
finally mistaken as to the manner of His birth. The God-man, 
the Redeemer, was not to be begotten of man, but to be merely 
the seed of a woman, a son of a virgin, as you shall hear later on. 
But Eve was not mistaken in the one main point: the Eedeemer 
was to be a man who is the Lord — a God-man. God should be- 
come man, and the Eedeemer of man. Adam and Eve understood 
the first Gospel correctly, and they believed it, and trusted in it. 

The fact that the promised Seed of a Woman was to be God 
Himself, and that, therefore, the promised Eedeemer was to be 
God-man, man and God in one person, — this fact was foretold 
by the Prophets with express words, and recorded in the Bible. 

I shall only show you a few of these promises. 

The royal Prophet David, when through Nathan he had re- 
ceived the promise that the Eedeemer should be born of his family, 
burst forth into the question : "Is this the manner of man, Lord 
God?" 2 Sam. i, 14. The answer is too obvious to be expressly 
given by him. For this is evidently the manner of that Man who 
is the Lord God. 

The Prophet Isaiah through the Holy Ghost sees the future 
Eedeemer as though He had already come, and says: "Unto us a 
child is born, unto us a son is given: . . . and His name shall be 
called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting 
Father, The Prince of Peace," Is. 9, 6. The Prophet Jeremiah, 
speaking of the Eedeemer, first speaks of Him as a mere human 
"Branch," and then says: "This is His name whereby He shall 
be called, The Lord, our Eighteousness," Jer. 23, 5. 6. And again 
the Prophet Isaiah foretells the coming of the Eedeemer, saying: 
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call 



24 

His name Immanuel" "which being interpreted is, God with us/' 
Is. 7, 14; Matt. 1, 23. 

And when the promised Seed of a Woman, the Eedeemer, 
had at last come, and was born and had become a man, then His 
Apostle wrote concerning Him : "This is the true God, and eternal 
life," 1 John 5, 20. And another Apostle first speaks of the Ee- 
deemer's human descent, and then says: "Who is over all, God 
blessed forever. Amen/' Eom. 9, 5. And the Bible reports that 
still another Apostle worshiped before the Eedeemer, who stood 
before him a true man, and said : "My Lord, and my God," 
John 20, 28. 

So you see from the Bible that the meaning of that first 
Gospel actually was this, that God should become man, and through 
suffering redeem man from the power of the Devil. 

A wondrous Gospel ! 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Holy Trinity. 

My dear reader ! In order that you may correctly understand 
the first Gospel, of which you have heard in the foregoing chapter, 
and that you may correctly understand the Gospel generally, God's 
glad story of the redemption, I must by all means briefly acquaint 
you with the doctrine of the Bible concerning the Holy Trinity. 

This is the doctrine which tells us who the true God is. 

But I wish to say at the outset: In this doctrine God reveals 
things concerning Himself that are so peculiar, so wondrous, so 
singular, so incomprehensible to human reason, so far beyond all 
human conception, that all the world, and all human reason 
exclaims : Nay, that cannot be true ! But, my dear reader, God 
is peculiar, wondrous, singular, incomprehensible to human reason, 
and far beyond all human conception. Therefore you dare not 
measure God according to your reason, and with your conceptions, 
and, as it were, carve out a God to suit you. If you do that, you 
have an idol and not the true God. You must know and believe 
God just as He reveals Himself in the Scriptures. If you do this, 
then you have the true God. 

Who is the true God? 



25 

He is the Triune (three in one) God: Father, Sox, and 
Holy Ghost; three distinct Persons in one divine Being. 

So it is. This the Holy Scriptures say. This is the true God. 
Every other god is a false idol. 

Now let me explain this a little, and prove it from the Bible. 

Firstly, the Bible teaches firmly, decidedly, and uniformly 
that there is but one God, but one divine Being. 

It is written in the Bible: "Know therefore this day, and 
consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven 
above, and upon the earth beneath : there is none else," Deut. 4, 39. 
God Himself says in the Bible: "I am the first, and I am the 
last; and beside me there is no God," Is. 44, 6. It is written: 
"The Lord, our God, is one Lord," Deut. 6, 4. The Apostle writes : 
"There is none other God but one," Bom. 8, 4. And again he 
writes : "One God and Father of all," Eph. 4, 6. And again : 
"There is one God," 1 Tim. 2, 5. 

And this also is most certain : There is but one God and Lord, 
who is a Spirit, who is eternal, omnipresent, almighty, all-knowing, 
holy, righteous, true, benevolent, merciful, and gracious. There 
is but one such divine Being. 

But — now listen ! — Holy Scriptures teach just as firmly, 
decidedly, and uniformly that in this one God, in this one and 
the same holy, undivided, and indivisible Being there are three 
distinct Persons, who are called: Father, Son, Holy Ghost. 

I will tell you at once what I have to say on this, and give 
you the texts of Scripture. 

Father, Son, Holy Ghost, — these are not merely three dis- 
tinct names for one and the same divine Person. Xo, indeed ! 
There are actually and truly three distinct Persons in God. 

And these are the distinctions between the three Persons : — 

The Father is He who begat the Son from eternity. 

The Son is He who is from eternity begotten or born of the 
Father. 

The Holy Ghost is He who from eternity proceeds from the 
Father and the Son. 

These distinctions you must know and retain. You dare not 
confuse the three Persons, nor mistake them for one another. 
Whatever pertains to one individual Person simply pertains to 
that one Person, and not to the others. 



26 

In their divine Being, however, all three Persons are fully 
alike. No Person is before, or greater, or more prominent than 
the others. For every Person is just the one God. 

And so there are not three Gods, but just one God ; not three 
Lords, but one Lord. 

You say you do not understand this ? Nor do I understand it. 
Whoever says he understands this is foolish, and deceives himself. 
I think it altogether proper for us poor creatures not to be able 
to understand the majesty of the great God. If we could under- 
stand God, why, then God would not be greater than our reason. 
We only understand that which is earthly. But God is not earthly. 
Therefore we cannot understand Him. And therefore we should 
not fancy at all as though we had to understand God. Much less 
dare we say : I don't understand this, and therefore it cannot be so. 
That would be horribly and wantonly foolish. We should simply 
accept and believe what God in the Bible says concerning Himself. 

And now recall the last chapter, and what you were told of 
the first Gospel. Eecall that there you heard that God the Lord 
was to become man, born of a woman, of a virgin, and to become 
the Eedeemer of mankind. Eecall that here you also heard that. 
God the Lord actually did become man born of a woman, of a 
virgin, and became the Eedeemer of mankind. 

Do you recall this? 

Now hear! 

God the Lord, who was to become man and did become man r 
who was to become the Eedeemer of mankind and did become the 
Eedeemer of mankind: He is the Son. The Father did not be- 
come man. Nor did the Holy Ghost become man. Only the Son 
became man and the Eedeemer and Savior of man. 

Note this, note this well ! 

And shall I still withhold from you the name of this Lord 
who became man, of this eternal Son of the eternal Father? 

I will not. Here it is : 

Jesus Christ. 

And now you shall see that the Bible, Holy Writ, the Word of 
God, teaches all that you have just heard of the Holy Trinity. The 
Holy Trinity (tri-unity = three-oneness) — so God is called be- 
cause there are three Persons in one and the same divine Being. 

First look up the third chapter of this book. There the story 
of the creation of heaven and earth is told. There we read: "In 



27 

the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the 
earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face 
of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the 
waters. And God said — ." Gen. 1, 1 — 3. Here are mentioned 
the three Persons of the Holy Trinity : Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost. 

Yes, you say, He who is called "God" may be the Father ; and 
the "Spirit" or the Holy Ghost is mentioned, but where is the Son? 

Answer : The Son is the speaking God, as you read : "God 
said." 

You will ask me whence I know this. 

I know this from the Bible, and hence I know this from God 
Himself. John 1, 1 — 3. 14 you may read: "In the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with. God, and the Word was 
God. The same was in the beginning with God." [So you see, 
God was with God.] "All things were made by Him" [by the 
Word, you see, that was with God and that was God] ; "and with- 
out Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word 
was made flesh [man], and dwelt among us, and we beheld His 
glory, the glory as of the only-begotten (Son) of the Father, full 
of grace and truth." 

Here, you see, the Bible states that the speaking God was 
the Son. 

And so the Bible sets forth the Holy Trinity upon its very 
first page, yes. in its first words. 

It is because of the three Persons in God that God, when 
about to create man, said : "Let us make man in our image, after 
our likeness," Gen. 1. 26. 

But you do not expect that in the small space of this book 
I can copy a thousand, or merely a hundred texts of Scripture 
proving this point. 

I shall only mention a few of them. 

The Son. the speaking God. the "Word," which was with 
God and was God. became man and our Redeemer. You have just 
heard this. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and 
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth," John 1, 14. Xow this Son, 
when He had finished His work of redemption, said to His dis- 
ciples and Apostles : "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 



28 

the Holy Ghost/' -Matt. 28, 19. Do you here mark the three Per- 
sons in God? 

The same Son said: "When the Comforter is come, whom 
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, 
which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me," John 
15, 26. Do you here note the three Persons in God? And do you 
here see that, as has been shown before, the Holy Ghost proceeds 
from the Father? And the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son 
also, for He is in fact and name, according to the Bible, also the 
Spirit of the Son. The Apostle says: "God hath sent forth the 
Spirit of His Son into your hearts/ 7 Gal. 4, 6. And do you not 
here, too, see the three Persons in God? 

And that the Father has from eternity begotten the Son, and 
that the Son is from eternity begotten, or born, of the Father, 
as was likewise shown above, you can see from the Prophet's record 
of the words which the Father addressed to the Son : "Thou art 
my Son: this day have I begotten Thee/' Ps. 2, 7; Hebr. 1, 5. 
When here it says : "This day," the eternal, divine to-day is meant, 
God's ever-present eternity. 

Finally let me tell you of one more great revelation of the 
Holy Trinity recorded in the Bible. 

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in holy manhood, began 
His sacred office of redeeming us through much suffering from 
the power of the Devil, He was baptized. And when He had been 
baptized, the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, was seen like as a 
dove to descend and light upon Him. And the voice of the Father 
said from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
pleased/' Matt. 3, 16. 17. 

Here, indeed, you can see the three distinct Persons of the 
Godhead plainly revealed; here also you see that the Son became 
the promised Seed of a Woman, the Slayer of the serpent, and 
our Eedeemer and Savior. Accordingly the Apostle says: "We 
have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the 
Savior of the world," 1 John 4, 14. 

Thus the doctrine of the Holy Trinity sheds a great light 
upon the first Gospel which you have learned to know; and there- 
fore it was necessary for me to tell you about this doctrine. 

my dear reader! No doubt, many things still remain ob- 
scure to you. And you will be astonished and alarmed about many 
things you have heard. But read on, read on, with burning desire ! 



Call upon God the Holy Ghost to open nnto yon the Scriptures, 
the Holy Scriptures, and to open your heart also, that yon might 
understand. Then most assuredly the day shall dawn, and the 
day star arise in your heart: you shall know the Holy Scriptures 
to he God's revealed Word, and you shall find salvation therein. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
The People of the First 1500 Years of the World. 

As human wisdom knows nothing, and can know nothing, 
about the creation of the world, so it likewise knows nothing about 
the history of the people of the first 1500 years of the world. Much 
foolish stuff has been said and written about it, wild theories and 
wrong assertions have been put forth, especially to the effect that 
the people of those first ages were altogether rude, and uncouth, 
and like the brutes, and developed very slowly and gradually. 
The very reverse is true : in spite of sin, into which they had 
fallen and into which they were born, the people of the first period 
were most grand and efficient: but by continuing to lead a life 
of sin and ever more falling away from the Law of God and the 
Gospel they have gradually sunken deeper and deeper, and, in 
part, have become downright uncouth and barbaric. 

Let me relate to you quite briefly and simply what the Bible, 
the Word of God, likewise very briefly and simply, relates about 
the people of the first 1500 years of the world. 

After Adam and Eve had been expelled from Paradise they 
had very many children, sons and daughters. And these did not 
all remain with their parents, but were dispersed, and multiplied, 
and filled the earth. — It is self-evident that in the beginning 
brothers had to take their sisters in marriage. So God willed it. 
For God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell 
on all the face of the earth." So says the Bible, Acts 17, 26. 

The first sons of Adam and Eve were named Cain and Abel. 
When Eve gave birth to Cain, she said : "I have gotten the man, 
the Lord," because she thought she already had the promised 
Seed of a Woman who should bruise the serpent's head. Ah, but 
Cain was a very different man, who caused his parents much 
heartache, and in whom the hideousness of sin became very ap- 
parent. The following Bible-story will show you this : — 



30 

"And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of 
the ground. 

"And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought 
of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord; and Abel 
of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof." 

Before I proceed with the story I shall have to say something 
on offerings, later called sacrifices. 

It is plain that the Lord God not only gave Adam and Eve 
the first Gospel, but also instructed them to make offerings or 
sacrifices. From the first Gospel message men knew that God 
should become man, and through suffering and dying redeem man 
from sin, and God's wrath, and death, and eternal damnation. 
That they might always bear this in mind, they were to sacrifice. 
That signified, firstly: In their divine service they were to slay 
a beast, and thereby remember that the promised Redeemer should 
so suffer and die for their sins. The offered animal thus was a 
type and sign of the coming Redeemer, who should for man and 
in the place of man bear sin, God's wrath, death, and damnation. 
And it signified, secondly: They were to offer up the fruit of the 
field unto the Lord in thanksgiving for His great mercy. Hence 
the offered fruit also was a reminder of the coming Savior and 
His mercy. Thus the offerings were a typical divine service, 
instituted and ordained by God. And thus matters remained until 
the Redeemer actually came. Then, of course, the type, the pic- 
ture, the sign, reached its fulfillment, its end. 

Now I shall proceed with the Biblical story : — 

"And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering" 
(because Abel was godly and sincere) : "but unto Cain and to 
his offering He had no respect" (because Cain was an ungodly 
hypocrite). 

"And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 

"And the Lord said unto Cain" (I know not in what manner; 
possibly through a direct revelation, possibly through Adam) : 
"Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If 
thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest 
not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, 
and thou shalt rule over him. 

"And Cain talked with Abel, his brother: 

"And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain 
rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him." (That, perhaps, 



31 

was the first time that there was one dead on earth. Imagine 
the situation!) 

"And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel, thy brother? 

"And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 

"And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy 
brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art 
thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to 
receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the 
ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; 
a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 

"And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater 
than I can bear. Behold, Thou hast driven me out this day from 
the face of the earth; and from Thy face shall I be hid; and I 
shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come 
to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me." (Notice 
the bad conscience of the wicked!) 

"And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest any finding him 
should kill him." (I am not sure what sort of a mark that was.) 

"And Cain went forth from the presence of the Lord" (from 
the place where God's Word was proclaimed, and where the true 
service was held), "and dwelt in the Land of Nod." 

There his wife bore unto him a son, whom he called Enoch. 
And there he built a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. 
And so there grew up from Cain a wicked generation that dwelt 
apart from God and God's Word. But in earthly affairs, in herding, 
in music, in the mining of ore, and in iron industry, this genera- 
tion became great and renowned. 

And Adam was 130 years old when there was born unto him 
a son whom Eve called Seth (Amends). "For God, said she, hath 
appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." 

Among the descendants of Seth God's Word remained in 
vogue. There it took its abode. It was preached and heard among 
them. Hence, among the descendants of Seth there was a people 
of God which knew its sin and repented of it, and trusted in the 
promised Savior, and built its hope upon Him, and led a godly 
life. The descendants of Seth were therefore called "the sons 
(or children) of God" in the Bible, while the descendants of Cain, 
who had fallen and strayed farther and farther from God and 
His Word, are termed children "of men," Gen. 6, 2. 

Now the Bible has preserved unto us the names of the pa- 



32 

triarchs of this people of God, who in an unbroken line of father 
and son have lived throughout the first two thousand years of 
the world. 

They are these: iiDAM, Seth, Enos, Caiman, Mahalaleel, 
Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. Noah's sons were : 
Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

Of all these men it is said that they lived very, very long. 
Adam lived to be 930 years of age, Seth 912, Enos 905, Cainan 
910, Mahalaleel 895, Jared 962. Concerning Enoch the Bible 
relates : "And Enoch walked with God. And all the days of 
Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years. And Enoch 
walked with God : and he was not ; for God took him." Methu- 
selah lived to an age of 969 years, Lamech 777 years. When 
Lamech begat Noah he said: "This same shall comfort us con- 
cerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground 
which the Lord hath cursed/' Likely he thought that Noah was 
the promised Savior, who should redeem mankind. But he was 
mistaken. Yet this speech clearly shows how his heart embraced 
the Gospel of God, and was full of firm faith. 

Are you astonished at the long lives, the unheard-of long- 
lives of these patriarchs, and doubtless of many of their contem- 
poraries ? Does that seem fabulous to you ? — My friend, the 
Bible is the Word of God and tells no fables. Yes, men lived 
long in those first ages. And these men certainly lived just as 
long as the Biblical report says. One fain would say, it seems as 
though death could get no hold, could not so readily get hold on 
these beings sprung from Paradise. But, at any rate, as concern- 
ing the above-named patriarchs, I must say this : God wanted 
them to live so long, and as direct witnesses to preach the Word 
of God to the rapidly multiplying generation of their time. Con- 
sider that Adam only died when Lamech, the father of Noah, the 
last of the patriarchs, was 56 years old. What immediate infor- 
mation did the people of Noah's time have of the fall and of the 
Gospel message in Paradise ! Such a direct spread of the Gospel 
was all-important in order that many, many might comfort them- 
selves with the coming Bedeemer, and live and die believing in 
Him. For he who lives and dies believing in the Bedeemer is 
not lost. The example of Enoch went to show that God had eter- 
nal life in store for those who placed their trust and hope in His 
Word of mercy concerning the Seed of a Woman, concerning 



33 

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Yes, the ten men whose 
names are given above were not only the forefathers of the people 
of God of those times, but their preachers as well unto faith in 
the Savior and unto eternal blessedness. 

My friend, may you also accept the preaching of God's Word, 
and believe and hope in the Savior of the world; then you, too, 
most certainly shall enter eternal blessedness through Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Flood. 

The descendants of Seth, the "sons of God," alas ! did not 
remain good. They, too, fell away from God and His Word, 
until, finally, this apostasy became universal among them. They 
were entirely like the ungodly descendants of Cain, the "children 
of men.'' 

Would you know how this came about? 

The Bible says : "It came to pass that the sons of God" 
(the descendants of Seth) "saw the daughters of men" (the 
descendants of Cain) "that they were fair: and they took them 
wives of all which they chose," Gen. 6. 2. There you have the 
explanation. They who had grown to manhood in the Church 
of God took ungodly wives, because they were pleasant to their 
eyes ; and they would not be warned. So they themselves became 
estranged from God and His Word. And as to their children 
and descendants, they grew up without the Word of God, godless. 
Outwardly, however, in earthly and worldly affairs, they were 
successful. The Bible says : "They became mighty men which 
were of old, men of renown.'' Gen. 6, 4. 

And so there finally came about a condition of things here 
on earth which the Bible describes as follows : "And the earth 
also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 
And God looked upon the earth and, behold, it was corrupt; for 
all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth," Gen. 6, 11. 12. 

"But Xoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." "Noah 
was a just man and perfect in his generation, and Xoah walked 
with God," Gen. 6, 8. 9. This he did in a "generation" which was 
wicked and tempted him well-nigh beyond resistance. And Xoah 
had three sons, as you know, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 
3 



34 

When this was the condition of affairs on earth, something 
happened which the Bible relates in the following words. — But 
I shall only give yon a brief outline of the Biblical account : — 

"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with 
man, for that he also is flesh" (that is, sinful and controlled by 
sin) : "yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." (As 
a time of repentance God would grant them another hundred and 
twenty years of life.) 

"And God saw" (when this time of grace had expired) "that 
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagi- 
nation of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And 
it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it 
grieved Him at His heart. And He said, I will destroy man whom 
I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, 
and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth 
me that I have made them." ("It repenteth God" is an expression 
that is here merely fitted to the impressions and understanding of 
man. For in fact "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither 
a son of man, that He should repent," Numb. 23, 19.) 

"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before 
me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, be- 
hold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of 
gopher wood ; rooms shalt thou make in it, and shalt pitch it within 
and without with pitch. The length of it shall be 300 cubits, the 
breadth of it 50 cubits, and the height of it 30 cubits. And, behold, 
I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all 
flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every 
thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish 
my covenant ; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, 
and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living 
thing of all flesh two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, 
to keep them alive with thee. And take thou unto thee of all food 
that is eaten ; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 

"Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, 
so did he." (How much ridicule and mockery must have been 
poured over him through all the time that he was building that 
boat, the ark, and was preaching of its object, and of God's im- 
pending judgment!) 

"And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house 
into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this gen- 



35 

eration. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the 
earth forty days and forty nights ; and every living substance that 
I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 

"And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded 
him. And he was 600 years old. And he went in, and his sons, and 
his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark. Of the beasts 
there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, as God had com- 
manded him. And the Lord shut him in. 

"And the same day were all the fountains of the deep broken 
up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon 
the earth forty days and forty nights. And the waters increased, 
and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. Fifteen 
cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were 
covered. 

"And all flesh in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all 
that was in the dry land, died. 

"And Noah only remained, and they that were with him in 
the ark. 

"And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and 
fifty days. 

"And God remembered Xoah, and all the cattle that was with 
him in the ark : and God made a wind to pass over the earth, 
and the waters assuaged; the fountains of the deep and the win- 
dows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was re- 
strained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: 
and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were 
abated. And the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. 

"And Noah sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, 
until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 

"Also' he sent forth a dove from him. But the dove found 
no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned. 

"And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth 
the dove; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, 
in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. 

"And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the 
dove, which returned not again. 

"And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, 
and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 

"And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark. 
And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' 
wives with him, and every beast. 



36 

"And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt 
offerings. 

"And the Lord said, I will not again curse the ground any 
more for man's sake; for the imagination of mans heart is evil 
from his youth. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, 
and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night 
shall not cease. 

"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, 
Be fruitful and multiply,, and replenish the earth. And I, behold, 
I establish my covenant with you; neither shall there be any 
more a flood to destroy the earth. This is the token of the cove- 
nant: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token 
of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to 
pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be 
seen in the cloud. — 

a And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a 
vineyard. 

"And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was 
uncovered within his tent. 

"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his 
father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and 
Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon their shoulders, and 
went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. 

"And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger 
son had done unto him. And" (he was now filled with the Spirit 
of God, the Spirit of prophecy) "he said, Cursed be Canaan; 
a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Blessed be 
the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God 
shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; 
and Canaan shall be his servant. 

"These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the 
whole earth overspread, and by these were the nations divided in 
the earth after the flood. 

"And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty 
years : and all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years : 
and he died." — 

This is, in short, the Biblical account of the great and uni- 
versal righteous visitation of God upon the ungodly world, which 
had fallen from Him and His Word. This occurred about the 
year 1656 after the creation of the world. 



Most people laugh at this account, and do not want to be- 
lieve it, — although traces of the flood can still be seen, unless 
one willfully shuts his eyes against them. 

The writers of Holy Writ often take occasion by the flood 
to warn against a fall from God and His Word, and against 
wickedness. This was God's judgment upon the wicked then. 
What would it be to-day? 

From Shem, Ham, and Japheth all men are descended that 
now live upon the earth. And as the Bible states, and according 
to plain evidence to-day, this happened just as Noah, through the 
Holy Ghost, foretold. The descendants of Ham and of his son 
Canaan are all they who, in the course of time, have been sub- 
jugated, and held in servitude and slavery. From Shem that 
people,- particularly, was descended to whom, as you shall soon 
hear, God gave His Word and the true worship, the people whose 
Lord He therefore was in a most peculiar way, the people in 
whose midst the promised Savior became man. From Japheth 
chiefly the Europeans are derived, who spread over all the earth, 
and who, especially, and more than others, "dwell in the tents of 
Shem," that is, who belong to the Church of Shem: the Church 
that has in its midst the Word of the Redeemer Jesus Christ. 

God grant that you, dear reader, may also, in all truth, dwell 
in the tents of Shem, and live and die and be saved as a child 
of God — through Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTER X. 



The Tower of Babel and the Confusion of 
Languages. 

The continent of Asia is called the cradle of the human race. 
There was the Paradise; there the people first spread; there, 
too, are the mountains of Ararat, on which Noah's ark rested, and 
in the lowlands of which, in Armenia, Noah and his family dwelt 
and worshiped God. 

But also among the descendants of Noah backsliding from 
God and His Word was soon becoming manifest. You have noticed 
that Ham and his son Canaan had already degenerated. But even 
with the house and tribe of Shem and Japheth matters did not 
continue well. And in the course of time the fall and ungodliness 



38 

again became great and general. The true children of God were 
but a little flock. 

Now it came to pass that the people, the descendants of Noah, 
journeyed from Armenia, and farther eastward found a beautiful 
lowland, the land of Shinar, or Babylon. There they remained. 

And there they said to one another: "Go to, let us make 
brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, 
and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us 
build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; 
and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the 
face of the whole earth." 

Now this was nothing but the haughty mind of the flesh, 
disdainful of God. They wanted to remain together, united in 
powerful union, without God, in spite of all the prophecies of 
Noah. And the city and the tower were to be the great central 
point, and the towering memorial of their union. 

God saw this. And therefore the true God said thus: "Be- 
hold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this 
they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them 
which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and 
there confound their language, that they might not understand 
one another's speech." 

So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face 
of the earth; and the}? - left off to build the city. 

Therefore is the name of it called Babel (Confusion) ; be- 
cause the Lord there confounded the language of all the earth: 
and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face 
of all the earth. 

This judgment of the Lord we have before us to the present 
day. Mankind is separated, divided; especially the fact that the 
various peoples of the globe have different languages makes each 
nation a peculiar one. 

But the haughty mind of the flesh, disdainful of God, has 
remained. Man relies upon, and insolently boasts, his own 
strength, and power, and glory, and forgets God and wants noth- 
ing of Him. 

But "He hath showed strength with His arm; He hath scat- 
tered the proud in the imagination of their hearts," says the 
Bible Luke 1, 51. And that is demonstrated by the history of 
nations. 



39 



CHAPTER XL 

Abraham, the Forefather of the Chosen People 

of God. 

All I have so far told you, of the Creation, the Fall, the First 
Gospel, the People of the First 1500 Years, the Flood, the Tower 
of Babel, and the Confusion of Languages and the scattering of 
the people, you will find recorded in the Book of Genesis, in the 
first eleven chapters. 

In the following, however — sorry to say ! — I shall have to 
be more brief, and to pass over the other accounts of the Bible 
with more rapid strides, as it were. Otherwise this book would 
become too large. This book, you know, is merely to contain the 
first elements and the most necessary things of the Christian re- 
ligion, and to awaken in you a desire for more, and so to point 
you to the Scriptures. 

Now, after the Flood, through the confusion of languages, 
the people were scattered into all lands. 

From God and His Word they had again fallen, — well-nigh 
all of them: even the descendants of Shem. 

But upon the descendants of Shem rested the prophecy, made 
through Noah, that God would be the Lord of Shem, and would 
build tents for all men in the family of Shem, and that the prom- 
ised Eedeemer should become man among the offspring of Shem. 

Now, what did God do? 

During Shem's lifetime God chose a man from among the 
descendants of Shem. And from this man God wanted to rear 
unto Himself a peculiar generation and people. And to this people 
He would give His Word and the true worship. And among this 
people the Eedeemer should become man. 

This chosen man was Abraham. 

Let me show you how Abraham was descended from Shem. 

Shem's son was Arphaxad; his son was Salah; his son, Eber; 
his son, Peleg; his son, Beu; his son, Serug; his son, Nahor; his 
son, Terah; his son, Abraham. Abraham was born in the year 
1949 after the creation of the world. 

Let me also show you how the lifetime of men gradually de- 
creased. 

Shem lived 600 years; Arphaxad, 438; Salah, 433; Eber, 
464; Peleg, 239; Eeu, 239; Serug, 230; Nahor, 148; Terah, 



40 

205 ; Abraham, 175. — Abraham's forefather Shem lived thirty- 
five years after the death of Abraham. 

Abraham dwelt with his father Terah in Ur of the Chaldees, 
in Western Asia, and later in Haran of Mesopotamia. 

The name of Abraham's wife was Sarah. They had no 
children. 

Now let me tell yon very briefly some of the main features of 
the wonderful history of Abraham. 

When Abraham was 75 years of age, the Lord said unto him : 
"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 
father's house, unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make 
of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee : and in thee shall all 
families of the earth be blessed/' For of Abraham the promised 
Woman's Seed, the Eedeemer, was to come. 

So Abraham departed, and Lot, his brother's son, went with 
him. And when they had come into Canaan, — in Western Asia, 
on the coast of the Mediterranean, — the Lord appeared unto Abra- 
ham and said: "Unto thy seed (descendants) will I give this land." 

And Abraham built an altar unto the Lord, and called upon 
(preached) the name of the -Lord. 

And Lot chose all the plain of Jordan, the chief river run- 
ning through Canaan, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But 
the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord ex- 
ceedingly. 

After these events, years after, the word of the Lord came 
unto Abraham, saying, "Fear not, Abraham : I am thy shield, and 
thy exceeding great reward." 

And Abraham said, "Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, 
seeing I go childless?" 

And the Lord said, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the 
stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be." 

"And Abraham believed the Lord; and He counted it to him 
for righteousness/' that is, Abraham believed the promise of God 
concerning his seed and the future Redeemer; and so the Lord 
imputed the redemption, which the Eedeemer should bring, unto 
Abraham, so that he had forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation 
through his faith. 

Now when Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the Lord ap- 
peared unto him and said, "I am the Almighty God; walk before 
me, and be thou perfect. And I will establish my covenant be- 



41 

tween me and thee and thy seed after thee, to be a God unto thee, 
and unto thy seed after thee. This is my covenant" (the mark, 
the "token" of raj covenant) : "Every man child in your genera- 
tions that is eight days old shall be circumcised." 

And soon after this the Lord appeared unto Abraham as he 
sat in the tent door. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, 
lo, three men stood by him: and he ran to meet them, and bowed 
himself to the ground, and said, "My Lord, if now I have found 
favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray Thee, from Thy servant : 
and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts." 
They said, "So do, as thou hast said." Abraham hastened into his 
tent unto Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly, and make cakes." 
But he ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, 
and gave it unto the young man ; and he hastened to dress it. And 
he set butter and milk before them, and the calf, and they did eat. 

These three men were the Lord and two angels, in human 
form. The Lord, however, was God the Son, the "Speaking God." 
(See chapter vii.) 

They said unto him, "Where is Sarah, thy wife?" 

He said, "Behold, in the tent." 

Then said the Lord, "I will certainly return unto thee ac- 
cording to the time of life, and, lo, Sarah, thy wife, shall have 
a son." 

Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him, and 
laughed within herself. 

Then said the Lord unto Abraham, "Wherefore did Sarah 
laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?" 

Then Sarah denied, saving, "I laughed not." For she was 
afraid. And He said, "Xay; but thou didst laugh." — 

And the Lord went His way, as soon as He had left com- 
muning with Abraham, and the two angels came to Sodom at 
even. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot pressed upon 
them greatly, and they turned into his house. And he made them 
a feast, and they did eat. 

But before they lay down, the men of the city compassed the 
house around, both young and old, and said, "Where are the men 
which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that 
we may know them." 

Lot went out and said, "I pray you, brethren, do not so 
wickedlv." 



42 

They said, "Stand back ! This one fellow came in to sojourn, 
and he will needs be a judge." And they pressed sore upon Lot. 
And the men (the angels) put forth their hand, and pulled Lot 
into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote 
the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, so that 
they wearied themselves to find the door. 

And the men said unto Lot, "Hast thou here any besides, in 
the city? Bring them out of this place. For the Lord hath sent 
us to destroy it." 

And Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, which married 
(were engaged to) his daughters. But he seemed unto them as 
one that mocked. 

And when the morning arose, the angels hastened Lot. And 
while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and that of his 
wife and his two daughters, and brought them forth. 

And the Lord, who had now come to them, said, "Escape for 
thy life; look not behind thee!" 

Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah 
brimstone and fire; and He overthrew all those cities, and all the 
plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities. And Lot's wife looked 
back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. — 

And Sarah bore unto Abraham a son, at the set time of 
which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called his son 
Isaac, and circumcised him, being eight days old, as God had 
commanded him. 

And God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, "Take now 
thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee 
into the land Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering." 

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and went unto 
the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham 
saw the place afar off. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt 
offering, and laid it upon Isaac, his son; and he took the fire in 
his hand and a knife, and they went both of them together. 

Then said Isaac, "My father, Behold the fire and the wood: 
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 

Abraham said, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb 
for a burnt offering." 

And when they came to the place Abraham built an altar, 
and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac, his son, and laid him 



43 

on the altar upon the wood, and stretched forth his hand, and 
took the knife to slay his son. 

And the angel of the Lord (the Son of God) called unto him 
ont of heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham, Lay not thine hand 
upon the lad : for now I know that thou f earest God, seeing thou 
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." 

And Abraham looked, and behold behind him a ram caught 
in a thicket by his horns : and offered him up in the stead of 
his son. 

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven 
the second time, and said, "By myself have I sworn, saith the 
Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, that in blessing I will 
bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars 
of heaven; and in thy seed shall all the xatioxs of the 

EARTH BE BLESSED. 

To this the Apostle remarks : "He saith not, And to seeds, 
as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." 
Gal. 3, 16. 

The Woman's Seed was to be the seed of Abraham. 



CHAPTER XII 



Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, the Next to Receive 
the Promise. 

Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife RebeJcah, 
a kinswoman of his, who dwelt in Haran of Mesopotamia, as you 
may read Gen. 24. 

And Eebekah bore twins; the first was red, all over like an 
hairy garment; therefore they called him Esau. His brother they 
called Jacob. 

But before the children were born, God had said : "The elder 
shall serve the younger/ 7 Gen. 25, 23. Therewith it was declared 
that not Esau but Jacob should inherit the promise made to 
Abraham and Isaac. For to Isaac also God had given the same 
promise He had given unto Abraham, and had said: "Unto thee 
and unto thy seed I will give all these countries, and I will per- 
form the oath which I sware unto Abraham, thy father; and 
I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will 



44 

give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall 

ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED," Gen. 26, 3. 4. 

Now when the boys grew up, Esau was a cunning hunter, 
a man of the field, and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents, 
attending to domestic affairs and to herding. 

And Isaac loved Esau: but Eebekah loved Jacob. 

When Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, he called Esau, 
and said, "Take me some venison, and make me savory meat, such 
as I love, that my soul may bless thee before I die." Thereby his 
only object was to endow Esau with the blessing of that great 
promise. 

But Eebekah heard this, and she spake unto Jacob, "Fetch 
me two good kids of the goats, and I will make savory meat for 
thy father, such as he loveth: and thou shalt bring it to thy 
father, that he may bless thee." And he went and fetched. And 
his mother made savory meat, and took goodly raiment of Esau, 
and put them upon Jacob : and she put the skins of the kids of 
the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. And 
she gave the savory meat into the hand of Jacob. 

And he came unto his father and said, "My father!" 

He answered, "Who art thou, my son?" 

Jacob said, "I am Esau; eat of my venison, that thy soul 
may bless me." 

Then said Isaac, "Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel 
thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not." And 
he said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands 
of Esau." And he discerned him not, and said, "Art thou my 
very son Esau?" 

And he said, "I am." 

And he said : "Bring the venison near to me." And he 
brought it near to him, and he did eat. And Isaac said, "Come 
near now, and kiss me, my son." And he came near, and kissed 
him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed 
him, and said, "Be lord over thy brethren: cursed be everyone 
that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." 

And it came to pass, as Jacob had scarce gone out, that Esau 
came in from his hunting, and made savory meat, and brought it 
unto his father, and said, "Let my father arise, and eat of his 
son's venison, that thy soul may bless me." 

Then his father said unto him, "Who art thou?" 



45 

He said, "I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau." 

And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, "Who ? Where 
is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten 
of all before thou earnest, and have blessed him? yea, and he 
shall be blessed." 

Esau said, "Bless me, even me also, my father \" And he 
lifted up his voice and wept. 

Then Isaac answered, "Behold, thy dwelling shall be the 
fatness of the earth; by thy sword shalt thou live, and serve thy 
brother." 

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing, and said, 
"I will slay my brother Jacob." 

And these words were told to Eebekah, and she sent and 
called Jacob, and said, "Arise, flee thou to Laban, my brother, 
and tarry with him until thy brother's fury turn away." 

Then Isaac called Jacob, and said, "God Almighty bless thee, 
and give thee the blessing of Abraham." 

Jacob went, and lighted on a certain place, and tarried there 
all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of 
that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that 
place to sleep. 

And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, 
and the top of it reached to heaven : and behold the angels of 
God ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood above 
it, and said, "I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and 
the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give 
it, and to thy seed: and in thee and in thy seed shall all 

THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED." 

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, "How dreadful 
is this place ! This is none other but the house of God, and this 
is the gate of heaven." And Jacob took the stone, and set it up 
for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the 
name of the place Bethel (House of God). And Jacob vowed 
a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me, so that 
I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord 
be my God, and this stone shall be God's house." 

And Jacob came to Laban, and served him fourteen years for 
his daughters Leah and Rachel. Then he served him six more 
years for wages, and increased exceedingly in riches. And God 
said to Jacob, "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and I will 



46 

be with thee." Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his 
wives upon camels, and came to Isaac, his father, in the land 
of Canaan. 

Jacob, however, had twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, 
Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, 
and Benjamin. These are the ancestors of the chosen people 
of God. 

At this point the Bible tells a story about Joseph, which is 
found in the Book of Genesis from the 37th to the 45th chapter. 
This story is most remarkable, and beautiful, and instructive. 
Unfortunately I cannot take it into this book, because of its length. 
Eead it in the Bible. In this story you are told how Joseph, out 
of envy, was sold by his brothers to slavetraders, who brought him 
to Egypt. There, after many wonderful guidances, he came to 
high honors, to be, in fact, the first man of the realm, next to 
Pharaoh (king), and the acting ruler of the whole land. After 
many years, in a famine, his brothers, coming there to buy grain, 
found him, and finally Joseph got his father, who during all 
these years had mourned him as dead, to come to Egypt with all 
his household. 

And so Jacob, who was also called Israel, took his journey 
into Egypt with all that he had. Then Joseph made ready his 
chariot, and went up to meet his father. And when he saw him, 
he fell on his neck, and wept a good while. And Israel said unto 
Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou 
art yet alive." And Joseph nourished his father and his brothers 
in Egypt, and they grew and multiplied exceedingly. 

And as it came to pass after these days, that Jacob should die, 
he gathered his sons together, and blessed them. And the Spirit 
of God moved him to predict and prophesy concerning future 
events. 

To Judah Israel said, "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren 
shall praise. — The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto 
Him shall the gathering of the people be," Gen. 49, 8. 10. With 
these words Israel prophesied that Judah should have the ruler- 
ship among the people of Israel, until the Shiloh, the Peacemaker, 
the Hero, the Slayer of the serpent, the Redeemer promised from 
the beginning of the world, should come from Judah and his 
descendants ; and unto Him should the gathering of the people be. 



So Judah was he who received the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob, and who together with them received the promise 
concerning Christ. 

And the dying Israel said, "I have waited for Thy salvation, 
Lord!" 

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, 
he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded np the ghost, 
and was gathered unto his people. 

Yes, he was gathered unto his people — unto the assemblage 
of all those who in their life had believed and heartily trusted the 
Gospel of God, and thus had been the children, the people of God. 

my reader ! May you also belong to the people of God, 
that one day you may be gathered unto them ! — 

With all that I have just told you I have given you a general 
survey of, and understanding for, the things recorded in the first 
book of the Bible, the First Book of Moses, called Genesis. Now 
read this book yourself! But let me tell you, lest you take offense, 
that therein are also recounted some horrible sins of man, and 
many a great fall on the part of believers. God in His AYord tells 
the truth. — And you will also find that the believers of those 
times, and of later times also, practiced polygamy. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Moses. 

"And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that genera- 
tion. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased 
abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and 
the land (of Egypt) was filled with them. 

"Now there arose a new king over Egypt" (not of the old 
line of Pharaohs), "which knew not Joseph. And he said unto 
his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more 
and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them; 
lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth 
out any war, they join also to our enemies, and fight against us, 
and so get them up out of the land. 

"Therefore did they set over them taskmasters to afflict them 
with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, 
Pithom and Eaamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more 



48 

they multiplied and grew. And the Egyptians made the children 
of Israel to serve with rigor. 

"And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that 
is born" (to the children of Israel) "ye shall cast into the river. 

"And a woman of the house of Levi bare a son, and hid him 
three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took 
for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with 
pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by 
the river's brink" (of the river Nile). "And his sister stood afar 
off to wit what would be done to him. 

"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself 
at the river; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent 
her maid to fetch it. And when she opened it, she saw the child: 
and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and 
said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 

"Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and 
call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse 
the child for thee? 

"And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go ! 

"And the maid went and called the child's mother. 

"And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child 
away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And 
the woman took the child, and nursed it. 

"And the child, grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's 
daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses. 
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and 
was mighty in words and deeds. (Acts 7, 22.) 

"And it came to pass, when Moses was grown" (forty years 
of age), "that he went out unto his brethren, and looked upon 
their burdens : and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one 
of his brethren. And he slew the Egyptian. Now when Pharaoh 
heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from 
the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian, and kept 
the flock of the priest of Midian. 

"And he came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb (Sinai). 

"And the angel of the Lord" (the Son of the Father: for 
He is often called the "angel" or messenger of the Lord) "appeared 
unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he 
looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was 
not consumed. And God called him out of the midst of the bush, 



49 

and said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are 
in Egypt, and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand 
of the Egyptians, and to bring them unto a land flowing with 
milk and honey. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto 
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children 
of Israel, out of Egypt. 

"And Moses said, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, 
and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 

"And He said, Certainly I will be with thee. 

"And Moses said, But, behold, they will not believe me. 

"The Lord said, What is that in thine hand? 

"And he said, A rod. 

"And He said, Cast it on the ground. 

"And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; 
and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, 
Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth 
his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. 

"And the Lord said furthermore, Put now thine hand into 
thy bosom. 

"And he put his hand into his bosom : and when he took it 
out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And He said, Put 
thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put it in again, and, 
behold, it was turned again as his other flesh." 

"And the Lord said: It shall come to pass, if they believe 
not these two signs, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, 
and pour it upon the dry land : and the water shall become blood. 

"And Moses said unto the Lord, my Lord, I am not elo- 
quent, but of a slow tongue. 

"And the Lord said, Xow go, and I will teach thee what 
thou shalt say. 

"And he said. My Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of 
him whom Thou wilt send. 

"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and 
He said, Is not Aaron thy brother? He shall be thy spokesman 
unto the people. 

"And Moses went, and Aaron spake all the words which the 
Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of 
the people. And the people believed, and bowed their heads, and 
worshiped. 
4 



50 

"Afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, 
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go. 

"Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice ? 
I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Get you unto 
your burdens ! 

"And Pharaoh afflicted the people still more grievously. 

"And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and did the 
signs as the Lord had commanded. And Pharaoh hardened his 
heart, that he hearkened not unto them. 

"And the Lord sent nine plagues upon Pharaoh and upon 
Egypt. But Pharaoh hardened his heart, neither would he let 
the people go. 

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague 
more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you 
go hence. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, 
Every man, according to the house of their fathers, shall take a 
lamb without blemish, and shall kill it in the evening. They shall 
take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts, and on the 
upper door post of the houses. And they shall eat the flesh in 
that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread. And ye shall 
let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which re- 
maineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And 
thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your 
feet, and your staff in your hand ; and ye shall eat it in haste : 
it is the Lord's passover. For I will pass through the land of 
Egypt this night, and smite all the firstborn, both of man and 
beast. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses 
where ye are: and I will pass over you. and the plague shall not 
be upon' you. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; 
and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your genera- 
tions" (as a remembrance of past deliverance, and a picture of 
the coming Eedeemer, who shall lead you and all men out of the 
power of the Devil, through His blood). 

"And the children of Israel did so. 

"And it came to pass that at midnight the Lord smote all the 
firstborn in the land of Egypt. And there was a great cry in Egypt; 
for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 

"And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron by night, and said, 
Eise up, and get you forth from among my people. And the Egyp- 



51 

tians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out 
of the land in haste ; for they said, We be all dead men. 

"And the children of Israel journeyed forth, about 600,000 
men, beside children." (They had been in Egypt about four 
hundred years. Moses was eighty years of age.) 

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud 
to lead them the way : and by night in a pillar of fire to give 
them light. 

"And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and 
they pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, 
and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by 
the sea (the Eed Sea). And the children of Israel were sore afraid, 
and cried unto the Lord. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye 
not, the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 
And the angel (Son) of the Lord removed and went behind them, 
and the pillar of the cloud came between the camp of the Egyptians 
and the camp of Israel, so that the one came not near to the other. 
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea" (as the Lord had 
commanded him) ; "and the Lord caused the sea to go back by 
a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and 
the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the 
midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall 
unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 

"And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them. And 
the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar, 
and troubled them, and took off their chariot wheels: so that the 
Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord 
fighteth for them. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
hand over the sea. And the sea returned to his strength, and 
covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh; 
there remained not so much as one of them. 

"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel a song unto 
the Lord." 

What I have told you in this chapter is a short abstract of the 
first fifteen chapters of the Book of Exodus, the second book of 
Moses. 



52 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Giving of the Law upon Sinai. 

"And Moses brought the children of Israel from the Eed Sea 
into the wilderness. And the whole congregation murmured against 
Moses and Aaron, and said, Ye have brought us forth into this 
wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. And the Lord 
spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the 
children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall have 
flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread ; I will rain 
bread from heaven for you. 

"And at even the quails came up, and covered the camp; and 
in the morning, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay 
a small round thing. And when the children of Israel saw it, they 
said, It is manna. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread 
which the Lord hath given you to eat. And the children of Israel 
did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited. 
And it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like 
wafers made with honey. 

"And the third month, when the children of Israel were gone 
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came into the 
wilderness of Sinai. And there Israel camped. And the Lord 
said unto Moses, Sanctify the people, and let them wash their 
clothes, and be ready against the third day. 

"And it came to pass on the third day that there were thunder- 
ings and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the 
voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people trembled. 
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with 
God, and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And the 
Mount of Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord de- 
scended upon it in fire : and the whole mount quaked greatly. And 
the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder. 

"And the Lord spake all the words of the Ten Command- 
ments : — 

"I am the Lord, thy God, which have brought thee out of the 
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or 
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth : 



53 

thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, 
the Lord, tlry God, am a jealous G-od, visiting the iniquity of the 
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of 
them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them 
that love me, and keep my commandments. 

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in 
vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His 
name in vain. 

"E em ember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt 
thou labor, and do all thy work; but on the seventh day is the 
Sabbath of the Lord, thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, 
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy 
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy 
gates : for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, 
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore 
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

"'Honor thy father and thy mother : that thy days may be 
long upon the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee. 

"Thou shalt not kill. 

"Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

"Thou shalt not steal. 

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. 

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, 
nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that 
is thy neighbor's. 

"And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, 
and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and 
they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak 
thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, 
lest we die. 

"And Moses went up into the mount (Sinai), and was in 
the mount forty days and forty nights." 

There God the Lord gave unto Moses the Ceremonial Law for 
the children of Israel, that is, the law for the Israelitish worship, 
especially as concerning the sacrifices ; and the Civil Law, that is, 
the law respecting the civil order of things in Israel. The Cere- 
monial Law does not concern us any more, since it only pre- 
figured the promised Eedeemer, and His work, and the true wor- 
ship. But now the Eedeemer has come. And the Civil Law is 



54 

not binding upon us, since that especially was given only for the 
children of Israel. 

"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down 
out of the mount, they gathered themselves together unto Aaron, 
and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; 
for as for this Moses, we wot not what is become of him. 

"And Aaron said, Break off the golden earrings, and bring 
them unto me. 

"And he received them, and made a molten calf. 

"And they said, These be thy gods, Israel, which brought 
thee up out of the land of Egypt. And they offered burnt offer- 
ings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to 
eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; I have 
seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Now 
therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, 
and that I may consume them. 

"And Moses besought the Lord, his God, and said, Lord, 
turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy 
people. And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought 
to do unto His people. 

"And Moses went down from the mount, and the two tables 
of the testimony were in his hand. And the tables were the work 
of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon 
the tables. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto 
the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' 
anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and 
brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf, and burnt 
it, and ground it to powder, and strawed (strewed) it upon the 
water, and made the children of Israel drink it. 

"Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who 
is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. 

"And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together 
unto him. 

"And he said, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Slay every 
man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man 
his neighbor. 

"And the children of Levi did according to the word of 
Moses, and there fell of the people that day about three thou- 
sand men. 



55 

"And Moses hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, 
and went up into Mount Sinai, and took into his hand the two 
tables of stone. And the Lord wrote upon the tables the words 
of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 

"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount 
Sinai, behold, the skin of his face shone." 

About all the laws given on Sinai, especially about the typi- 
fying sacrifices, the Bible gives an account in the second and third 
book of Moses, the Books of Exodus and Leviticus. 



CHAPTER XV. 



The Ten Commandments according to the Version 
and Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism. 

Doctor Martin Luther, who was born in the year 1483, 
and died in the year 1546, preached the clear, true, and pure 
Word of God at a time when the Pope of Eome had well-nigh 
extinguished the light of God's Word on earth. Dr. Luther has 
also written the Small Catechism for the common people, both 
young and old. In this book he simply and briefly and beautifully 
comprehends the divine teaching in six "chief parts." 

The first part treats of the Ten Commandments. 

The Ten Commandments are the Law of God, in which He 
tells us how we are to be, and what we should do and not do. 

God already in creation has written His Law into the hearts 
of men, so that every man by nature has a knowledge of the Law. 
Through sin, however, this natural knowledge of the Law has 
become much darkened and very imperfect. Therefore God, at 
a later period, on Mount Sinai, gave His Law in ten command- 
ments, wrote it upon two tables of stone, and had Moses proclaim 
it unto the children of Israel. 

The sum of the first table is: "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy 
God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
mind," Matt. 22, 37. 

The sum of the second table is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself," Matt. 22, 39. 

The end, the sum total of all commandments, is : "Charity 
out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. 1, 5. 



56 

In his Small Catechism Luther has here and there given the 
Ten Commandments a form or version different from that indited 
by the finger of God upon the tables of stone. He has abbreviated 
the first three commandments, and what he has left out he has 
put in his definitions. Some things that pertain only unto the 
children of Israel he left out altogether. 

Let me now show you the Ten Commandments as they are 
found in Luther's Small Catechism, and as they are defined there. 

THE FIEST COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the First Commandment? 

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear, love, and trust in G-od above all things." — 

If we know God aright, as He has revealed Himself in the 
Bible, and truly fear, love, and trust in Him above all things, 
then we have Him as our God. But if we do not know God aright, 
and give to any creature the fear, love, and trust that is due to 
God alone, we have other gods before God. And this is what God 
forbids. 

He says: "Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him 
only shalt thou serve," Matt. 4, 10. 

He says : "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul : but rather fear Him which is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell," Matt. 10, 28. 

He says : "He that loveth father or mother more than me 
is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more 
than me is not worthy of me," Matt. 10, 37. 

He says: "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and 
maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord," 
Jer. 17, 5. 

He says: "For this ye know, that no . . . covetous man, who 
is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and 
of God," Eph. 5, 5. 

He that rightly examines himself will find that he does not 
fear, love, and trust in God above all things, as, according to the 
First Commandment, he should, and that therefore he is a sinner, 
who has deserved God's wrath and punishment. Every man, 
therefore, is in need of a Eedeemer. 



57 

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Second Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not curse, swear, 
use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name; but call upon it in 
every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks." — 

The name of God is all knowledge and every revelation of 
God, especially His Word, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. 

Now we should fear and love God, that we may not take that 
name in vain, nor misuse it. 

We should not use the name of God for thoughtless exclama- 
tions ("My God!" — "By God!" etc.), nor for jesting and blas- 
pheming. 

We should particularly not curse by the name of God. You 
know what cursing is. 

Neither should we swear by the name of God. When it is 
not consistent with the truth, and when it is not necessary, we 
should not call upon God to witness the truth and to avenge the 
untruth : for that is swearing. 

Neither should we use witchcraft by the name of God. To 
use witchcraft is to use God's name or Word for conjuring, fortune- 
telling, and consulting the dead, and other Satanic arts. God 
says: "There shall not be found among you ... an enchanter, 
or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or 
a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an 
abomination unto the Lord," Deut. 18, 10 — 12. 

Neither should we lie or deceive by the name of God. That 
is, we should not practice false doctrine about God, for in that 
case we lie by the name of God; and we should not practice 
hypocrisy, for then we deceive by the name of God. 

On the contrary, we should use the knowledge, and revelation, 
and Word of God to this end, that we may call upon Him in every 
trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. — Are you doing this ? 
Eeally? 

THE THIED COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Third Commandment? 
"Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day." 
What does this mean? 



58 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not despise 
preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and 
learn it." — 

In the Third Commandment God had commanded the chil- 
dren of Israel to sanctify Saturday, the seventh day of the week, 
as the Sabbath, or day of rest. This was, in the first place, a re- 
membrance of the week of creation, the seventh day of which the 
Lord had blessed and hallowed, because on that day God had 
"ended His work which He had made, and rested from all His 
work which He had made." It was for man that God had blessed 
and hallowed this seventh day, in order that henceforth he might 
enjoy His gifts, subdue the earth, and serve God in blissful rest. 
And in the next place, and chiefly, this commandment was a 
shadow of things to come, for it prefigured the future rest which 
the promised Woman's Seed, the Savior, should bring to us, who, 
through Adam's fall and our sins, had lost the rest given us by 
God in creation. — This was the Sabbath law of the children of 
Israel. And on the Sabbath they were also to gather for hearing 
God's Word. 

Now, however, that the promised Woman's Seed has come 
and has brought the true rest, the Jewish Sabbath law, which was 
but its shadow and figure, is void. Therefore the Bible says: 
"Let no man therefore judge you ... in respect of an holy-day, 
or ... of the Sabbath days : which are a shadow of things to come ; 
but the body is of Christ," Col. 2, 16. 17. Upon us no particular 
holidays, no Sabbaths, are enjoined. 

One thing, however, is enjoined orpon us. One thing God 
graciously has commanded us for our temporal and eternal benefit. 
It is this, that we should have preaching and God's Word in our 
midst. God says: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly 
in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs," Col. 3, 16. In public divine 
service the Word of Christ, the word concerning Christ, the Ke- 
deemer, should be richly preached among us, that we might hold 
to Him, our Eedeemer, and be saved through Him. And in order 
that we may have such public services, such preaching of the 
Word of Christ, we should take time and rest from labor; unto 
this end we should set apart holidays and sanctify them. "Thou 
shalt sanctify the holy-day." 

And now for ages past Sunday has been singled out and 
hallowed for that purpose. And so we should sanctify this holy- 



59 

day, and should fear and love the gracious God who has given us 
His Word, that we may not despise preaching and His Word, 
but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it. Together with 
the Psalmist we should say: "So will I compass Thine altar, 
Lord: that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and 
tell of all Thy wondrous works. Lord, I have loved the habita- 
tion of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth," 
p s . 26, 6—8. 

Say before God whether you have done or are doing this. 

How highly have you valued preaching and God's Word 
heretofore ? 

How highly do you value it now? 

Sinner, sinner, repent ! 

THE FOTTKTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Fourth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, that it may 
be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not despise our 
parents and masters, nor provoke them to anger; but give them 
honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem." — 

This commandment marks the beginning of the second table, 
the sum of which is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," 
or, as the Bible also puts it: "All things whatsoever ye would 
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them," Matt. 7, 12. 

And our neighbor is every one who requires our love; even 
our enemy. The Lord Jesus Christ says : "Love your enemies, 
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and 
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that 
ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for 
He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 
rain on the just and on the unjust," Matt. 5, 44. 45. 

The Fourth Commandment tells us to give all love and all 
due honor to our parents — to father and mother, and all those 
who, according to God's ordinance, are placed over us in home, 
state, school, and church. 

God is in deep earnest regarding this commandment. In His 
Word He says : "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth 
to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and 



60 

the young eagles shall eat it," Prov. 30, 17. He says: "Whoso- 
ever therefore resisteth the power (the government), resisteth the 
ordinance of God : and they that resist shall receive to themselves 
damnation," Eom. 13, 2. He says : "Servants, be subject to your 
masters with all fear," 1 Pet. 2, 18. He says: "Obey them that 
have the rule over you" (in the church), "and submit yourselves: 
for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, 
that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is 
unprofitable for you," Hebr. 13, 17. But He also says: "We 
ought to obey God rather than men," Acts 5, 29. Whenever, 
therefore, parents and masters demand something from us which 
is against God's Word, we dare not follow them. 

It cannot be well with us, and we cannot live long upon the 
earth, if we do not observe the Fourth Commandment. On the 
other hand, wherever it is respected men prosper and lead a quiet 
and peaceful life. 

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Fifth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not kill." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not hurt nor 
harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in 
every bodily need." — 

Think not that you have kept the Fifth Commandment if 
only you have not murdered some one. God looks upon the heart. 
And therefore the Lord Jesus Christ says: "Ye have heard that 
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whoso- 
ever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto 
you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause 
shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to 
his brother, Eaca, shall be in danger of the council : but whosoever 
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire," Matt. 5, 21. 22. 
And, moreover, God's Word says : "Whosoever hateth his brother 
is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life 
abiding in him," 1 John 3, 15. 

God demands, on the contrary, that we should help our neigh- 
bor, and befriend him in every bodily need. Isaiah says: "Is it 
not to deal thy bread with the hungry, and that thou bring the poor 
that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that 



61 

thou cover him ?" Is. 58, 7. God says : "Therefore if thine enemy 
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing 
thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head," Eom. 12, 20. 
How do you stand before the Fifth Commandment? 

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Sixth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may lead a chaste 
and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his 
spouse." — 

Matrimony was instituted by God after the creation of man. 
It is the lifelong union between one man and one woman unto 
one flesh. It is entered into by rightful and proper betrothal. 

Marriage should, therefore, not be dissolved, annulled, put 
asunder. Only when one part has broken the marriage bond, the 
other is at liberty to be divorced. God's Word says : "What 
therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder," 
Matt. 19, 6. And: "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except 
it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adul- 
tery," Matt. 19, 9. — In what flagrant violations against this 
word of God does the world live ! 

He that lives in the state of matrimony should be faithful 
to his spouse, never forsaking the same, and certainly never secretly 
living in licentious connection with another. 

He that does not live in the state of matrimony should 
avoid licentiousness. 

"Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge," Hebr. 13, 4. 

But think not that God in this commandment refers only to 
the glaring sins of the flesh. No indeed. God wants all our 
words, and thoughts, and desires to be chaste and decent. He also 
forbids "filthiness, and foolish talking, and jesting, which are 
not convenient," Eph. 5, 4. The Lord Jesus Christ says : "But 
I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after 
her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart," 
Matt. 5, 28. 

With all our heart therefore should we suppress and fight 
our inborn lust, and flee and avoid every opportunity for un- 
cleanness. 

Who is pure in this respect? 



62 



THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Seventh Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not steal." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not take our 
neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, 
but help him to improve and protect his property and business." — 

You know what stealing is. 

But do you know that this also is stealing, when one in any 
way takes advantage of his neighbor, in business or in trade? 
Would you like any one to take advantage of you? Of course not. 
Neither should you take advantage of others. — If you look at 
it rightly, the whole world is full of thieves, both great and small. 
The Bible says : "That no man go beyond and defraud his brother 
in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such/' 
1 Thess. 4, 6. 

I will give you a few Bible texts from which you may see all 
that God regards as stealing : — 

"Woe unto him that useth his neighbor's service without 
wages, and giveth him not for his work," Jer. 22, 13. 

"The wicked borrow eth, and payeth not again," Ps. 37, 21. 

"Whoso is partner with a thief — ," Prov. 29, 24. 

"If any would not work — ," 2 Thess. 3, 10. 

God wants us to have such a heart and mind toward our 
neighbor, that, far from wanting to obtain his money or goods in 
an improper manner, we be earnestly intent and honestly concerned 
to improve and protect his property and business. We should not 
harm him, but help him. We should not take, but give. 

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Eighth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not deceitfully 
belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, 
speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything." — 

"Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his 
neighbor," says God, Zech. 8, 17. We should not be deceitful 
toward our neighbor. And in such deceitful and false way we 



63 

should not belie, betray, slander, nor defame him, and thus cause 
others to talk evil about him. 

On the contrary, if we know something actually wicked about 
our neighbor, we should keep it secret from others, but reproach 
him with it in a kind and brotherly way. And if others speak 
evil about our neighbor, we should defend him, speak well of him, 
and put the best construction on everything. "Open thy mouth 
for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to de- 
struction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the 
cause of the poor and neecty," says God, Prov. 31, 8. 9; 

Most terribly widespread and common is the sinning against 
the Eighth Commandment. And who has that nice love for his 
neighbor, which covereth the multitude of sins, and believeth, 
and hopeth all good things of him? (1 Pet. 4, 8; 1 Cor. 13, 7.) 

THE XIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Ninth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not craftily seek 
to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain it by a show 
of right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it/' 

This commandment is against avarice and miserliness. With 
that men seek and study to get their neighbor's inheritance and 
house, like the spicier which, in its net, waits for the fly. And at 
the same time they are solicitous about observing a show of right, 
or even of piety. Against such the Lord Jesus Christ exclaims : 
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour 
widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore 
ye shall receive the greater damnation," Matt. 23, 14. 

Xote what the Spirit caused the Apostle to write : "Godliness 
with contentment is great gain. Eor we brought nothing into this 
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having 
food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will 
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
For the love of money is the root of all evil : which while some 
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced them- 
selves through with many sorrows," 1 Tim. 6, 6 — 10. 



64 

Be not hasty to say that you have not such a disposition. Our 
wicked heart is a filthy pit full of evil lusts that are easily put 
into practice. And, at any rate, we all are sorely lacking in that 
love which looks upon the welfare of the neighbor. For the Holy 
Ghost says in the Bible: "Look not every man on his own things,, 
but every man also on the things of others," Phil. 2, 4. 

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

Which is the Tenth Commandment? 

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man- 
servant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is. 
thy neighbor's." 

What does this mean? 

"We should fear and love God, that we may not estrange,. 
force, or entice away from our neighbor his wife, servants, or 
cattle, but urge them to stay and do their duty." — 

This commandment, like the ninth, forbids us to covet that 
which is our neighbor's, and shows fully and clearly that the mere 
evil lust is actual sin. We are so slow to comprehend that ! "Thou 
shalt not covet!" Eom. 13, 9. 

So we should be holy and perfect. Lev. 19, 2 ; Matt. 5, 48. 

How shall we sinners stand before the commandments of God ? 

THE CLOSE OF THE COMMANDMENTS. 

What does God say of all these commandments? 

"He says thus : I the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visit- 
ing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third 
and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy 
unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." 

What does this mean? 

"God threatens to punish all that transgress these command- 
ments. Therefore we should fear His wrath, and not act contrary 
to them. But He promises grace and every blessing to all that keep 
these commandments. Therefore we should also love and trust 
in Him, and willingly do according to His commandments." — 

Yes, God threatens to punish all that transgress these com- 
mandments. To the children of Israel He said : "I the Lord, 
thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them 
that hate me." But that was only a threat of temporal punishment 



65 

which should show and demonstrate God's seriousness. Upon 
all such children that hated Him, and followed their parents in 
their iniquity He would also punish the sins of the fathers, here 
in time, and that, unto the third and fourth generation. And God 
has carried out this threat, as many examples go to show. Likely 
God does this to the present day. But when the children turned 
unto the Lord, this word applied : "The son shall not bear the 
iniquity of the father," Ezek. 18, 20. And that, too, obtains to 
the present day. But God's actual and real threat of punishment, 
which was not only intended for the children of Israel, but is in- 
tended for all people, is this : "Cursed be he that confirmeth not 
all the words of the Law to do them," Deut. 27, 26. In our 
chapter on "Sin" we have already seen how this curse fell upon 
all men, and what it contains. 

Therefore, — and this is how things ought to be, — we should 
fear God's wrath, and not act contrary to His commandments. 

But He promises grace and every blessing to all that keep these 
commandments. Unto the children of Israel He said, "I am . . . 
showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my 
commandments." "Unto thousands of them," that is, forever- 
more, from generation to generation, eternally. And this is meant 
for us also. 

Therefore, — and this is how things ought to be, — we should 
also love and trust in Him, and willingly do according to His 
commandments. 

But, as matters are at present since the fall of our first parents, 
can we keep the commandments of God as God would have us 
keep them? 

No. Since the fall man, in his natural condition, can in no 
wise keep the Law of God. And he who through faith has become 
a child of God can only keep it very imperfectly. 

This is what God says in the Holy Scriptures. 

He says : "They are all together become filthy : there is none 
that doeth good, no, not one," Ps. 14, 3. 

He says: "There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth 
good, and sinneth not," Eccl. 7, 20. 

He says : "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? 
Not one," Job 14, 4. 

And the Prophets and Apostles, the best men that ever lived, 
say : "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses 
5 



66 

are as filthy rags/ 7 Is. 64, 6. And : "Not as though I had already 
attained, either were already perfect/ 7 Phil. 3, 12. And: "Enter 
not into judgment with Thy servant: for in Thy sight shall no 
man living be justified/' Ps. 143, 2. 

What purpose does the Law, then, serve, since we cannot 
keep it? With what intention did God give us the Law? 

It is to effect a threefold object. 

First, it is to check, in a measure, the gross outcroppings of 
sin, and thereby help to maintain outward discipline and decency in 
the world. For, since the Law of God, after all, does assert itself 
in the conscience of man, and is demonstrated by parental and 
civil government, it serves as a curb: it checks, curbs, restricts 
the sinful lusts of man, in a measure, lest they become actual 
deeds. 

Secondly, and chiefly, the Law is to teach man the due 
knowledge of his sin. For since the Law teaches us God's will, as 
to how we should be, and what we should do and not do, it acts as 
a mirror: in it we see that we are not as we should be, that we do 
what we should not do, and are not doing what we should do. "By 
the Law is the knowledge of sin/' Eom. 3, 20. This use of the Law 
is a very important and necessary one. For if we do not know our 
sin, we will, in entire heedlessness and carelessness, run into hell, 
and take no notice of the Gospel and the Eedeemer. "The Law 
was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ," says the Apostle, 
Gal. 3, 24. 

Thirdly, the Law is to lead the children of God to know what 
are truly good works, such as God would have us do. For since — 
I repeat — the Law shows us God's will, as to how we should be, 
and what we should do and not do, it is therefore unto us who wish 
to serve God and do truly good works, a rule : in it we see what, in 
truth, God requires of us. Thus the Law guards us, while we mean 
to serve God, from doing things which God does not require, and 
does not delight in. Therefore the Holy Scriptures say: "Where- 
with shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto 
according to thy Word," Ps. 119, 9. 

Take heed, kind reader, unto the Ten Commandments of your 
God, and do not lose sight of them as long as you live ! 



67 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Forty Years' Journey through the Desert and 
the Conquest of Canaan. 

"And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the 
wilderness of Sinai. 

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that 
they may search the land of Canaan : of every tribe of their fathers 
shall ye send a man. 

"And Moses sent them. And they came unto the brook of 
Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with a cluster of grapes, 
and they bare it between two upon a staff. And they returned after 
forty days, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest 
us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey ; and this is the fruit 
of it. But we be not able to go. up against the people ; for they are 
stronger than we. We were in their sight as grasshoppers. 

"And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried, 
Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt ! or would God 
that we had died in this wilderness ! Let us make a captain, and 
let us return into Egypt ! 

"And Joshua and Caleb, which were of them that searched the 
land, rent their clothes, saying, The land is an exceeding good land. 
If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land. 
Only rebel not ye against the Lord. 

"But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. 

"And the glory of the Lord" (the pillar of cloud in which the 
Son of God was) "appeared before all the children of Israel. And 
the Lord said, I have heard the murmurings of the children of 
Israel, which they murmur against me. As ye have spoken in mine 
ears, so will I do to you. All that were numbered of you, from 
twenty years old and upward, shall not come into the land, save 
Caleb and Joshua. Your little ones, them will I bring in. But as 
for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your 
children shall wander in this wilderness forty years; and ye shall 
know my breach of promise/* — And so the people remained in the 
desert forty years, as the Lord had spoken. 

"And the soul of the people was much discouraged because of 
the way, and they spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore 
have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness ? For 



68 

there is no bread, neither is there any water ; and our soul loatheth 
this light bread (manna). 

"And the Lord sent fiery serpents" (whose bite produced a 
burning inflammation) "among the people, and they bit the people; 
and much people of Israel died. 

"Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have 
sinned. Pray unto the Lord, that He may take away the serpents 
from us. 

"And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto 
Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: every 
one that is bit, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 

"And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; 
and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he 
beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." — 

"And Moses went up unto the mountain of Nebo. And the 
Lord showed him all the land (of Canaan). So Moses, the servant 
of the Lord, died. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years 
old when he died : his eye was not dim, nor his natural force 
abated. And He (the Lord) buried him: but no man knoweth 
of his sepulcher. And the children of Israel wept for Moses 
thirty days." — 

"Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the 
Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 
Now arise, go over this Jordan, unto the land which I do give 
them, even to the children of Israel. Unto this people shalt thou 
divide the land. Only be thou strong and very courageous. This 
book of the Law" (the five books of Moses) "shall not depart out 
of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. 
For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have 
good success/' 

According to the Book of Joshua, which you may now read, 
Joshua led the people of Israel over the Jordan, and conquered 
the land of Canaan, and divided it unto the people of Israel. And 
the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which He had sworn unto 
their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give it unto their 
seed; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. There failed not 
aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the 
house of Israel; all came to pass. This was about the } r ear 2500 
after the creation of the world, or about the year 1500 before the 
birth of Christ. 



69 

In the Booh of Judges we are told of the happenings of the 
children of Israel in the first few centuries that they lived in the 
land of Canaan. The people were very unstable, and frequently 
fell from the Lord and His Word. "They did not destroy the 
nations (of Canaan), concerning whom the Lord commanded them: 
but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. 
And they served their idols : which were a snare unto them. Yea, 
they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed 
innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, 
whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land 
was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own 
works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore 
was the wrath of the Lord kindled against His people, insomuch 
that He abhorred His own inheritance. And He gave them into 
the hand of the heathen: and they that hated them ruled over 
them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought 
into subjection under their hand. Many times did He deliver 
them ; but they provoked Him with their counsel, and were brought 
low for their iniquity. Nevertheless He" (ever again) "regarded 
their affliction, when He heard their cry: and He remembered for 
them His covenant, and He repented according to the multitude 
of His mercies. He made them also to be pitied of all those that 
carried them captives." Such is the account of that time by the 
Psalmist, Ps. 106, 34—46. 

The men through whom the Lord in those times again and 
again delivered and helped His people were called "judges" 
helpers, saviors. 

How sinful even God ; s people are ! How merciful is the Lord ! 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Samuel and Saul. 

Next to the last of the judges of Israel was Eli, who was also 
high priest, that is, the highest priest of the land. The last judge 
was Samuel, who was also a prophet. Then there came kings over 
Israel, the first of whom was Saul. 

I want to first tell you something about Samuel. 

"There was a certain man, and his name was Elkanah. And 
he had two wives ; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name 



70 

of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah 
had no children. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed 
unto the Lord" (at the temple), "and wept sore. And she said, 

Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed give unto Thine handmaid 
a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of 
his life. And as she continued praying before the Lord, Eli marked 
her mouth. Now Eli thought she had been drunken, and he said 
unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken ? And Hannah answered, 

1 have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out 
my soul before the Lord. Eli said, Go in peace : and the God of 
Israel grant thee thy petition. 

"And the Lord remembered her. And she bare a son, and 
called his name- Samuel. And when she had weaned him, she 
brought the child to Eli, unto the house of the Lord. And the 
child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest. 

"Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial" (wicked men). 
"And Samuel was in favor both with the Lord and also with men. 

"Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did. And 
he said unto them, Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that 
I hear. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of 
their father. 

"And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said, Thus saith 
the Lord, Thou honorest thy sons above me. Them that honor 
me I will honor, and they that despise me shall oe lightly esteemed. 
In one day they shall die both of them. 

"And Samuel was laid down to sleep in the temple of the 
Lord. And the Lord called Samuel. And he ran unto Eli, and 
said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. 

"And he said, I called not; lie down again. 

"And he went. And the Lord called yet again, Samuel ! And 
Samuel arose, and went to Eli/ and said, Here am I; for thou 
didst call me. 

"And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 

"And the Lord called Samuel again, the third time. And he 
arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I ; for thou didst call me. 

"And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. 
Therefore he said, Go, lie down : and it shall be, if He call thee, 
that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth. 

"So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord 
called as at other times, Samuel ! Samuel ! 



71 

"Then Samuel answered, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant 
heareth. 

"And the Lord said unto Samuel, Behold, I will perform 
against Eli all things which I have spoken against his house : for 
the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves 
vile, and he restrained them not. 

"And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. 

"Then Eli called, and said, What is the thing that the Lord 
hath said unto thee? 

"And Samuel told him every whit. 

"And he said, It is the Lord : let Him do what seemeth 
Him good. 

"Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle. And 
the two sons of Eli were there with the ark of the covenant of 
God" (in which the two tables of the Law were kept). "And 
Israel was smitten. And the ark of God was taken; and the two 
sons of Eli were slain. And there ran a man out of the army, 
and told Eli, and said, Israel is fled, and there hath been also 
a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also are 
dead, and the ark of God is taken. And when he made mention 
of the ark of God, he (Eli) fell from off the seat backward by the 
side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died/' — 

Now I will tell about Saul. 

"And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 

"And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that all the 
elders of Israel came to Samuel, and said, Make us a king to judge 
us like all the nations. 

"But the thing displeased Samuel. And the Lord said unto 
Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people : for they have not 
rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign 
over them. 

"And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to 
Mizpeh, and said, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Ye have this 
day rejected your God. Now therefore present yourselves before 
the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands. 

"And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come 
near, Saul, the son of Kish (of the tribe of Benjamin) was taken" 
(by lot). "And when they sought him, he could not be found. 
Therefore they enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, 
Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and 



72 

fetched him thence : and when he stood among the people, all the 
people shouted, and said, God save the king! 

"Then the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh- 
Gilead. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he sent 
throughout all the coasts of Israel. And the fear of the Lord fell 
on the people, and they came out with one consent. And they slew 
the Ammonites, so that two of them were not left together. 

"Samuel also said unto Saul, Thus saith the Lord, Go and 
smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have. And Saul 
smote the Amalekites. But Saul and the people spared the best 
of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the 
lambs, and all that was good: but everything that was vile and 
refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Then came the word of the 
Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up 
Saul to be king: for he hath not performed my commandments. 

"And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, I have 
performed the commandment of the Lord. 

"And Samuel said, What meaneth, then, this bleating of the 
sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear? 

"And Saul said, The people spared the best of the sheep and 
of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord, thy God; and the rest we 
have destroyed utterly. 

"And Samuel said, Wherefore, then, didst thou not obey the 
voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and 
to hearken than the fat of rams. Because thou hast rejected the 
word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king. 

"And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon 
the skirts of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, 
The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and 
hath given it to a neighbor of thine that is better than thou. — 

"Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. 
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and 
Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a 
valley between them. 

"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the 
Philistines, named Goliath, whose height was six cubits and a span." 
(A cubit of the Bible is the length of a man's forearm, from the 
elbow to the end of his middle finger. Hence Goliath was about 
nine feet tall.) "And the weight of his coat of mail was five 
thousand shekels of brass. And the staff of his spear was like 
a weaver's beam. 



73 

"And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, Choose 
you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able 
to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: 
but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our 
servants. 

"When Saul and all Israel heard those words, they were dis- 
mayed, and greatly afraid. And the Philistine drew near morning 
and evening, and presented himself forty days. 

"Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem- 
Judali, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. And the 
three eldest sons followed Saul to the battle. And Jesse said to 
David, Eun to thy brethren, and look how they fare. And David 
went, and saluted his brethren. And, behold, there came up the 
champion Goliath, and spake the same words. And David spake, 
saying, Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy 
the armies of the living God? And when the words were heard 
which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul : and he sent 
for him. 

"And David said unto Saul, Thy servant will go and fight 
with this Philistine. 

"And Saul said unto David, Thou art not able to go to fight 
with him : for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from 
his youth. 

"And David said, The Lord will deliver me out of the hand 
of this Philistine. 

"And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. 
And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put an helmet of 
brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And 
David essayed to go, and said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, 
for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth 
stones out of the brook; and his sling was in his hand: and he 
drew near to the Philistine. 

"And when the Philistine saw David, he said, Am I a dog, 
that thou comest to me with staves? 

"Then said David, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with 
a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the 
Lord of hosts. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine 
hand, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 



74 

"And David took a stone and slang it, and smote the Philistine, 
that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon the earth. 
Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his 
sword, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines 
saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of 
Israel and of Judah pursued the Philistines. And the wounded 
of the Philistines fell down by the way." — 

And Saul hated David, and sought his life, and persecuted 
him, and attempted to slay him, mainly because he thought that 
David would be king of Israel after him. And David was, in fact, 
appointed to that office by God. And David had to flee from 
before Saul, from one place unto another, and from one country 
unto another. As long as Saul lived, David had to suffer much 
from him; but G-od held His hand over David. Now all this you 
may read in the First Book of Samuel, beginning with the 
18th chapter. 

Finally, the Philistines again gathered their armies together 
for warfare against King Saul. And when Saul enquired of the 
Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim 
(the high priest), nor by prophets. Then Saul went unto a woman 
with a familiar spirit. This woman by means of her sorcery had 
a spirit to appear in the shape of the Prophet Samuel, who was 
now dead. This spirit said unto Saul, "Why hast thou disquieted 
me to bring me up?" And Saul answered, "I am sore distressed; 
for the Philistines make war against me, and Grod is departed 
from me, and answereth me no more : therefore I have called thee, 
that thou mayest make known unto ine what I shall do." Here- 
upon the spirit told him that in this war the Lord would deliver 
Israel into the hands of the Philistines. And to the king per- 
sonally the spirit said, "And to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons 
be with me." The next day the children of Israel were smitten, 
and three of the sons of Saul were slain. Then Saul ordered his 
armor-bearer to thrust him through with the sword. And when 
the armor-bearer would not lay his hand upon the anointed of 
the Lord, Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. The Philistines 
cut off his head, and sent it round about the country. And they 
fastened his body to the wall of Beth-Shan. 

And David became king of Israel. 



75 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
King David. 

David was of the tribe of Judah, and so he was a descendant 
of that Judah who had received the promise that the Woman's 
Seed, the seed of Abraham, the Savior, should be of his offspring. 

David, the son of Jesse, was born at Bethlehem, a little town 
in the province of the tribe of Judah, in the year 1110 B. C. He 
lived to the age of seventy years, and reigned seven years at Hebron, 
and thirty-three at Jerusalem. 

David was an excellent man, a man after God's own heart. 
He had a goodly appearance, and was bold and wise. He was God- 
fearing and tried in many tribulations. He was also a prophet 
of God. The Holy Spirit spoke through him. He composed 
many precious psalms, which you may read in the Bible. These 
psalms contain many prophecies concerning the Eedeemer, con- 
cerning Christ. 

Unto David personally it was prophesied that Christ should 
come from his family. 

The Bible relates this event as follows : — 

"And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord 
came unto Nathan (a prophet), sa} 7 ing, Go and tell my servant 
David, Thus saith the Lord, . . . When thy days be fulfilled, and 
thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, 
which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his 
kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will estab- 
lish the throne of his kingdom for ever/' 2 Sam. 7, 4. 5. 12. 13. 

There God said to David that after his death God would set 
up his seed after him, and would establish the throne of his king- 
dom for ever. And this seed, or descendant, or son, of David, 
who should be king forever, is the Eedeemer, the Eedeemer prom- 
ised in Paradise of old, Christ, the Messiah, as He is termed in 
the Hebrew tongue. 

David, too, so interpreted these words. For "according to 
all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan 
speak unto David. Then went King David in, and sat before the 
Lord, and he said, Who am I, Lord God ? and what is my house, 
that Thou hast brought me hitherto? And this is yet a small 
thing in Thy sight, Lord God; but Thou hast also spoken of 



76 

Thy servant's house for a long while to come. And is this the 
manner of man, Lord God?" 2 Sam. 7, 17 — 19. Surely, so 
thought David, what has been said to me regarding that man who 
is to be my son exceeds the limits of man. It is too wonderful 
for me. It is the manner of a man who is the Lord God. And in 
many psalms David, through the Holy Ghost, prophesied concern- 
ing the Messiah, who should be both, his Lord and his son. 

To this very thing all the Prophets testify who lived long 
after David. 

Isaiah, seeing the future as though it were present, says: 
"Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given : and the govern- 
ment shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called 
Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, 
The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and 
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon 
his kingdom," Is. 9, 6. 7. And Jeremiah says : "Behold, the days 
come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous 
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute 
judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be 
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely : and this is His name whereby 
He shall be called, THE LOED OHE EIGHTEOUSNESS," 
Jer. 23, 5. 6. And Ezekiel says : "Thus saith the Lord God, David, 
my servant, shall be king over them; and they shall all have one 
shepherd," Ezek. 37, 21. 24. 

So it was that the expected Eedeemer, or Messiah, or Christ, 
was universally called "the Son of David" among the Jews. (Matt. 
1,1; 15, 22; 20, 30; 22, 42; 9, 27; -12, 23; 21, 9.) 

So you see, after Eve, Abraham was the bearer of the great 
promise; after Abraham, Isaac; after Isaac, Jacob; after Jacob, 
Judah; after Judah, David. — 

But this grand man David also fell grievously. 

The Bible relates that as follows : — 

"David sent Joab" (his commander-in-chief), "and his ser- 
vants with him; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and 
besieged Eabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. 

"And it came to pass in an eveningtide that David walked 
upon the roof of the king's house: and he saw Bath-sheba, the 
wife of Uriah, washing herself; and she was very beautiful to 
look upon. And David sent, and took her, and he lay with her. 

"And David wrote a letter to Joab, saying, Set ye Uriah in 



77 

the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him., that he 
may be smitten, and die. 

"And Joab assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that 
valiant men were. And the men of the city went out and fought 
with Joab; and there fell some of the people of the servants of 
David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 

"And when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was 
dead, she mourned. And when the mourning was past, David 
sent and fetched her, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. 

"But the thing displeased the Lord. And the Lord sent 
Nathan unto David. And he said unto him: 

"There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other 
poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds : but 
the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb; it did eat 
of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, 
and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto 
the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock, and of his 
own herd; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the 
man that was come to him. 

"And David's anger was greatly kindled; and he said, As the 
Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. 

"And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thou hast 
killed Uriah with the sword of the children of Ammon, and hast 
taken his wife to be thy wife. 

"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. 

"And Nathan said unto David, The Lord hath also put away 
thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou 
hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, 
the child also that is born to thee shall surely die. And on the 
seventh day the child died." 

Then David prayed thus : — 

"Have mercy upon me, God, according to Thy loving-kind- 
ness : according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot 
out my transgressions. 

"Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from 
my sin. 

"For I acknowledge my transgressions : and my sin is ever 
before me. 

"Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil 
in Thy sight : that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, 
and be clear when Thou judgest. 



78 

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother 
conceive me. 

"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts : and in the 
hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and 
I shall be whiter than snow. 

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which 
Thou hast broken may rejoice. 

"Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 

"Create in me a clean heart, God; and renew a right spirit 
within me. 

"Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy 
Holy Spirit from me. 

"Eestore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me 
with Thy free Spirit. 

"Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall 
be converted unto Thee. 

"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, God, Thou God of my 
salvation : and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. 

"0 Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth 
Thy praise. 

"For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou 
delightest not in burnt offering. 

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a 
contrite heart, God, Thou wilt not despise. 

"Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: build Thou the 
walls of Jerusalem. 

"Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteous- 
ness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall 
they offer bullocks upon Thine altar." 

While a king, too, David had to suffer much. Here is an 
instance : — 

"And in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as 
Absalom" (David's son) "for his beauty. And Absalom stood 
beside the way of the gate: And it was so, that when any man 
came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, 
and said, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no 
man deputed of the king to hear thee. Oh that I were made judge 
in the land, that every man might come unto me, and I would do 
him justice ! And when any man came nigh to do him obeisance, 



79 

he took him, and kissed him. So Absalom stole the hearts of the 
men of Israel. 

"And Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and 
pay my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord. The king said, 
Go in peace. And he went to Hebron. But Absalom sent spies 
throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the 
sound of the trumpet, ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. 
And the people increased continually with Absalom. 

"And there came a messenger to David. And David said unto 
all his servants, Arise, and let us flee, lest he overtake us suddenly, 
and smite the city with the edge of the sword. And the king went 
up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up. And 
all the people that was with him went up weeping. And, behold, 
thence came out a man of the house of Saul, whose name was 
Shimei, and cursed, and cast stones at David, and said, Come out, 
come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial ! Then said 
Abishai, Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And 
the king said, Let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto 
him, Curse David. 

"And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came 
to Jerusalem. Then David arose, and all the people that were 
with hfm, and they passed over Jordan. And Absalom passed 
over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. And David 
numbered the people, and gave all the captains charge, saying, 
Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. 

"And the people of Israel were slain before the servants of 
David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under 
the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the 
oak, and he was taken- up between the heaven and the earth; and 
the mule that was under him went .away. And Joab took three 
darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit, and laid a 
very great heap of stones upon him. 

"And the king was much moved, and wept, and said, my 
son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! would God that I had 
died for thee, Absalom, my son, my son !" — 

"And David slept with his fathers, and Solomon, his son, 
reigned in his stead." 



80 



CHAPTER XIX. 

King Solomon, the Building of the Temple, the 

Division of the Kingdom, and the Babylonian 

Captivity. 

Solomon was about twenty years of age at the time of his 
accession to the throne. He reigned forty years, and died at the 
age of about sixty. His reign was a reign of peace. 

When Solomon became king, the Lord appeared unto him in a 
dream, and said: "Ask what I shall give thee." 

Solomon said: "I am but a little child: I know not how to 
go out or come in. Give therefore Thy servant an understanding 
heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good 
and bad." 

And the speech pleased the Lord. And God said unto him: 
"Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart. And 
I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches 
and honor. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, then I will lengthen 
thy days." 

And Solomon was wiser than all men. He was also a prophet 
of the Lord, and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote three 
books contained in the Bible, namely, the Book of Proverbs ; Eecle- 
siastes, or the Preacher; and the Song of Solomon. 

He also built unto the Lord the most magnificent temple. 
Although all stones and all the timber was prepared beforehand, 
it still required seven years to build it. When Solomon dedicated 
this temple, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud and filled 
the house. And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, and 
spread forth his hands toward heaven, and spoke an excellent 
prayer. The dedication of the temple was performed amid im- 
posing splendor, with many sacrifices and glorious services. In 
conclusion, Solomon feasted the people splendidly for fourteen 
successive days. 

But this wise King Solomon loved many strange, foreign 
women, and after the manner of the heathen he had many wives 
and concubines. This became a snare unto him. For when Solo- 
mon was old, his heathen wives turned away his heart after other 
gods, to build altars and high places for them. 

For this reason the kingdom was divided after his death. His 
foolish son Rehoboam retained no more than two tribes, the tribes 



81 

of Judah and Benjamin. The other ten tribes chose Jeroboam to 
be their king. From that time on there were two kingdoms among 
the people of God, the Kingdom of Judah, and the Kingdom of 
Israel. The kings of Jndah were descendants of David, and re- 
sided at Jerusalem; but the kings of Israel were of different 
families, and resided mainly at Samaria. This division of the 
kingdom occurred in the year 999 B. C. 

Twenty kings reigned over Jndah at Jerusalem, and among 
them there were eight pions kings. Nineteen kings reigned over 
Israel, and all of them were wicked. 

Because of the sins of the kings and their people both king- 
doms were destroyed: Israel by the Assyrians, and Jndah by the 
Babylonians. 

The Kingdom of Israel perished first, in the year 738 B. C, 
and its ten tribes were carried away captive. Its last king was 
Hoshea. He was defeated by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who 
resided in the famous city of Nineveh. 

Sennacherib, son of Shalmaneser, wanted to destroy the King- 
dom of Jndah. also, and besieged the pions King Hezekiah within 
the city of Jerusalem. But the angel of the Lord delivered Heze- 
kiah, and early in the morning the camp of the Assyrians before 
Jerusalem was strewn with dead corpses; and Sennacherib de- 
parted. 

From that time on the Kingdom of Judah continued for more 
than a hundred years. But most of the following kings were 
wicked, and the people served other gods. Under the reign of 
King Manasseh especially terrible conditions prevailed. Finally, 
God caused His judgment to be visited upon the Kingdom of 
Judah also. He delivered it into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon. He besieged Jerusalem at various times. First 
he carried away King Jehoiakim, and shortly after this, also 
Jehoiachin, his son, together with the princes and the strong men 
of the land, taking them captive to Babylon. A year later he 
caused the eyes of Zedekiah, the last of the Jewish kings, to be 
put out, after having first slain his sons before him. The mag- 
nificent temple of Solomon was burned. The city of Jerusalem was 
turned into a heap of stones. The people were deported like cattle 
to Babylon. All this was done about the year 600 B. C. And 
Jerusalem lay waste seventy years. This is called the Babylonian 
Captivity. 
6 



82 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Return from the Babylonian Captivity. 

About the ten tribes of Israel, which were deported by the 
king of Assyria neither the Bible gives us any information, nor 
has anything come to light about them in the history of the world. 

The Jews who were carried into the Babylonian captivity 
prospered considerably in earthly affairs. This may have been 
due to the circumstance that the Prophet Daniel rose to the highest 
power and honor in that land. The faithful, however, and they 
who were converted, longed greatly for a return to the land of 
promise, where, as they knew, Christ should be born of the seed 
of David. 

But the Babylonian kingdom was not one of many kingdoms : 
it was a great world-power. And while the Jews were in captivity, 
a great change came about, for the Persians acquired the control 
of the entire dominion. 

And it was one of these Persian kings, by the name of Coresh, 
or Cyrus, who, in the year 535 B. C, gave permission to the Jews 
to return to their country. Throughout his entire realm he made 
this proclamation: "The Lord God of heaven hath charged me to 
build Him an house in Jerusalem. Who is there among you of 
all His people? Let him go up to build the house of the Lord 
God of Israel. He is the God." 

Then rose up all whose spirit God had raised to go. And all 
they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels 
of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious 
things. And Cyrus gave them the vessels of the house of the Lord 
which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, in 
all 5400 gold and silver vessels. The whole congregation together 
which went forth from the captivity numbered about 50,000. 
Laden with numerous goods, with very many horses, and mules, 
and camels, and asses, they went out. The leaders of the expedi- 
tion were Zerubbabel and Jeshua. 

When they had arrived in the land of their fathers, all the 
people settled in their former places and cities. When the seventh 
month was come, the people gathered themselves together in Jeru- 
salem. And they resolved to erect the house of God again upon 
the old site. First of all they set up the altar and offered burnt 
offerings unto the Lord. In the second year of their coming the 



83 

builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord. And they 
set the priests and the Levites with trumpets and with cymbals to 
praise the Lord after the ordinance and with the psalms of David. 
And they sang together by courses (responsively) in praising and 
giving thanks unto the Lord, because He is good, for His mercy 
endureth forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with 
a great shout. But many who were old men, who had seen the 
first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their 
eyes, wept with a loud voice; so that the people could not discern 
the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping. 

But the adversaries of the Jews, who had migrated from their 
heathen countries into the deserted provinces of the ten tribes of 
Israel, and who were called Samaritans, wanted to help build the 
house of the Lord, and said : "We seek your God, as ye do." But 
Zerubbabel and Jeshua said : "Ye have nothing to do with us to 
build an house unto the Lord : but we ourselves together will 
build, as the King Cyrus commanded us." Then the people of 
the land troubled and molested the people of Judah in building. 
They wrote an accusation against the Jews, and libeled them be- 
fore the king of Persia as people who wanted to revolt. A com- 
mand then came from the king to forcibly resist the building, 
and the work of the house of God ceased for several years. 

Then, upon the earnest admonition of the Prophets Haggai 
and Zechariah, Zerubbabel and Jeshua began again to build the 
house of God; and the Prophets of God were helping them. And 
the eye of their God was upon them, that the people could not 
cause them to cease from building. There even came an emphatic 
decree from King Darius to let the Jews build this house, and 
moreover to give them their expenses from the king's tribute, that 
they might again set up their sacred worship with all its appoint- 
ments. So things prospered, and the house was finished. 

In the sixth year of the reign of Darius the returned children 
of the captivity kept the dedication of the house of God with joy. 
And they set the priests and the Levites in their courses, for the 
service of God, as it is written in the book of Moses. And at the 
proper time for seven days they kept the passover, the feast of 
unleavened bread, unto the Lord, the God of Israel. This was in 
the year 514 B. C. 

Now after these things Artaxerxes became king of Persia. 
Among the captive Jews that had remained in Persia there was one 



84 

of the most prominent priests and scribes, named Ezra. To him 
Artaxerxes gave the following letter: "I make a decree, that all 
they of the people of Israel, which are minded of their own free 
will to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee; and to carry the silver 
and the gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered 
unto the God of Israel, that thou mayest buy what is needed for the 
offerings in the house of your God. And I make a decree to all the 
treasurers which are beyond the river (Euphrates), that whatsoever 
Ezra shall require of you, it shall be done speedily. Whatsoever is 
commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done speedily : for why 
should there be wrath against the realm of the king? And thou, 
Ezra, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people 
that are beyond the river. And teach ye them that know not the 
laws of thy God. And whosoever shall not do the law of thy God, 
let judgment be executed speedily upon him." 

Then said Ezra: "Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, 
which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart." And then 
he relates : "I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord, my God, 
was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go 
up with me. And we afflicted ourselves before our God, to seek of 
Him a right way for us. For I was ashamed to require of the king 
a band of soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in 
the way : because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of 
our God is upon all them for good that seek Him. So we besought 
our God for this : and He was entreated of us." 

Five months later this second expedition of Jews came to Jeru- 
salem. And they offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, 
and delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, 
and to the governors on this side of the river. This was in the year 
456 B. C. — ' 

Among those who had remained in captivity in Persia there 
was also Nehemiah, who was cup-bearer to the king. To him there 
came several men from Judah, and told him that things were still 
in a sad condition in the Holy Land, and that the wall of Jerusalem 
was still broken down. Then Nehemiah mourned greatly, and made 
request of the king to send him unto Judah, that he might build 
the city of his fathers. And the king granted the request. 

When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, and saw the desolation 
of the city, he said unto the rulers and unto the rest of the people : 
"Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem." So they built 



85 

the wall ; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, 
for the people had a mind to work. 

Bnt the mighty men from Samaria wonld not brook this, and 
fell upon them while they worked. But the children of Judah made 
their prayer unto their God, and Nehemiah set the people to guard 
against them, with spears, and shields, and bows. Henceforth with 
one of their hands they wrought in the work, and with the other 
hand they held a weapon. Then the enemies lost courage ; for they 
perceived that this work was wrought of God. So the walls were 
built, and the doors were set up. Nehemiah, however, was made 
Tirshatha, or governor, of Judah by the king. This was in the year 
440 B. C. 

And all the people gathered themselves together, and Ezra 
brought the book of the Law of Moses. And Ezra stood upon a 
pulpit of wood. And when he opened the book, all the people 
stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God : and all the 
people answered, Amen, Amen. And the people wept, when they 
heard the words of the Law. But Ezra and Nehemiah said: 
"This day is holy unto our Lord : neither be ye sorry ; for the joy 
of the Lord is your strength." And they gathered branches from 
the trees, and made themselves booths (tabernacles), and sat under 
them, and kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day also. 
And they read in the book of the Law every day. 

And all the people confessed their sins, saying: "Lord, we 
are servants this day in the land which Thou gavest unto our 
fathers. Thou hast set kings over us, and they have dominion 
over us at their pleasure, and we are in great distress. And we 
make a sore complaint, and write it; and our princes and priests 
seal unto it." And they entered into an oath to do all the com- 
mandments of the Lord, and His judgments, and His statutes. 

Nehemiah restored all the temple service according to the 
Law of the Lord. And he cleansed the people of all strangers, that 
Israel might be a people of the Lord. 

Ezra gathered all the Biblical books. — 

What is told in this chapter you will find in the Books of Ezra 
and Nehemiah. 



86 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Later Destinies of the Jewish Nation. 

The same countries over which the Assyrians and Babylonians 
had ruled later on came under the dominion of the Medes and 
Persians. But their dominion, too, was at an end, for Alexander 
the Great of Macedonia conquered the Persian empire, and founded 
the third great world power, called the Macedonian. The Holy 
Land was also included in this. At the death of Alexander his 
generals divided the realm among themselves. They established 
themselves as kings, and carried on great wars with one another. 
A descendant of one of these was Antiochus Epiphanes, king of 
Syria. He wanted to add the kingdom of Egypt to his dominion. 
After he had conquered in Egypt, he returned by way of Jeru- 
salem, went into the sanctuary, plundered it, and had many people 
killed. Then he devastated the temple and the city. The citizens 
fled, and there was universal distress. Antiochus also proclaimed 
a decree, that all the people of his realm should hold the same, 
to-wit, heathenish, religious, observances. He caused an idol to 
be placed upon the altar of God, and had altars erected in all the 
cities of Judah, where the people were required to sacrifice to idols. 
Whoever remained faithful to the Law of God was killed. At that 
time many people fell from the Law of God, but many, too, re- 
mained faithful, and preferred death to apostasy. (169 B. C.) 

But there was a priest by the name of Mattathias, who had 
five sons. He cried : "Let every one that is zealous for the Law 
follow me!" He and his sons left all they had, and many pious 
people fled with them into the mountains. Then Mattathias went 
throughout the country, threw down the altars, circumcised the 
children, slew the apostates, and maintained the Law of God over 
against the power of the heathen. 

After the death of Mattathias his son Judas went throughout 
the cities of Judah, cheerful and bold as a lion, and all that were 
oppressed gathered themselves to him. Antiochus sent out a very 
great army against him, but Judas attacked it, and defeated it. 
In the next year he met with like success. From thus striking 
the enemy, he was called Maccabeus, which means, a hammer. 
After him his family is called "the Maccabees." 

After this victory Judas and all the people went to Jerusalem, 
and dedicated the temple anew. 



87 

After the death of Judas the heathen and the apostates again 
became powerful in the land, and there was much grief and afflic- 
tion in Israel. Then Judas's brother Jonathan fought the heathen 
with great success, and restored the honor of the nation. 

After Jonathan's death the people made his brother Simon 
captain. And he became both high priest and prince of the Jews. 
He also made a treaty with the Romans. As long as Simon lived 
the country was quiet. He ruled well, and benefited the country 
greatly, so that there was once more prosperity and contentment 
in Israel. 

Under the rule of the descendants of Simon the Jewish people 
enjoyed outward liberty and happiness for forty years. But when 
a quarrel about the supremacy ensued, one of the contestants called 
upon the Romans for aid. The Roman general Pompey came 
with an army (63 B. C), conquered the country, held it for the 
Eomans, and ^enthroned Herod, an Edomite, as king under the 
supremacy of the Eomans. So the Jews were under the supremacy 
of the Roman emperor, the fourth world power. 

Let me also tell you of the internal affairs of the Jewish 
nation at this time, as concerning faith and worship. 

At the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the Lord had still sent 
Prophets to the people, who spoke to them in the name of the Lord. 
The last of these had been Malachi. Since that time, however, 
say from the year 400 B. C, the voice of the Prophets was hushed 
in Israel. Now everyone had to apply himself to that Word which 
was written. In place of the Prophets there were Scribes, of whom, 
as you know, Ezra was one. These were in great esteem with the 
people, and were called Rabbi (Master). And in the towns and 
villages synagogues or schools were erected, in which the Scribes 
taught the Word of God. 

But in the course of time the Scribes more and more lost the 
true understanding of the Scriptures, and they taught all sorts of 
traditions of men. The Pharisees, too, were quite numerous among 
the people at that time. They made it their boast that they not 
only kept the Law of God, but also numerous other ordinances, 
over and above the Law of God. Therefore they ascribed to them- 
selves an exceptional piety and holiness, and the people respected 
them as though they were men of higher perfection. But their piety 
consisted only in outward works of men, having a good appearance 
before the people. For they had lost the living God from out of 



their hearts and their lives; and the hope of the promised Christ 
they had all but forsaken. So the very persons who enjoyed the 
greatest respect of the people proved the destruction of the people, 
for by their sanctimoniousness or affected holiness they ruined the 
piety of the people. — The Sadducees also were numerous. They 
denied the existence of God, of angels, of spirits, of the soul in 
man, of the resurrection, of a life after death. Their axiom was 
that when a man is dead, that this is the end of him. And as they 
taught, so they lived. Their aim was material prosperity and a 
gratification of their lusts and appetites. 

So there was a sad state of affairs among the people to whom 
God the Lord had so amply revealed Himself, and out of whose 
midst the Savior of the world was to come. There were but few 
who waited for the Savior; there was but a little band that still 
sought to obtain heaven and eternal life. The entire nation was 
fairly steeped in worldly-mindedness and carnal lusts. 

King Herod, whom the Eomans had enthroned, was worse 
than the heathen. He murdered any person who crossed his path, 
even his wife .and children. During his reign Christ was born. 
After his death his sons divided the whole Jewish country among 
themselves. Cruel Archelaus obtained Judaea and Samaria. He 
assumed the title of king. Herod Antipas received Galilee and 
the southern part of Peraea. Philip got the northern part of 
Peraea. Both of these had the title of tetrarch. Archelaus was 
soon deposed by the Eoman emperor, and his country was ad- 
ministered by vice-regents, also called governors. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The Prophets in Israel and Their Prophecies. 

God the Lord gave His Word to the children of Israel through 
Prophets. 

The Prophets were the men who were filled with the Holy 
Ghost in an extraordinary measure, and were moved by Him to 
preach and, in part, also to write the things with which He in- 
spired them. The Prophets admonished, reproved, taught, and 
consoled the people; they threatened and foretold the judgments 
of God; above all things they prophesied concerning Christ, the 



89 

Kedeemer and Savior, who should come to reconcile God on ac- 
count of the sins of man, and bring about a new condition for 
the people of God, gathered from all nations. 

There even were schools for prophets among the people of God 
in which men were instructed in the Word of God, and also pre- 
pared for the prophecy. 

At all times the Lord God sent Prophets to His people. It was 
only in the last 400 years before the birth of Christ that God no 
longer did this. At that time God directed His people to His 
written Word. 

One of the Prophets of God, and a Prophet without equal, 
was Moses. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote his five 
books. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit he gave an account of 
the ways of God with man before his lifetime, and of the prophe- 
cies of God concerning the Savior. By inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit he related God's guidance of Israel, whose mediator Moses 
himself had been. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit he himself 
prophesied. He also prophesied concerning the Savior: "The 
Lord, thy God, will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst 
of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto- Him ye shall hearken," 
Deut. 18, 15. 

King David, too, was a Prophet of God. He received prophe- 
cies, and he himself prophesied of the Savior, that He should be 
David's son, that He should suffer, die, rise, ascend into heaven, 
seat Himself at the right hand of God, and obtain the promised 
great victory, — He who is the Lord. 

A. powerful Prophet was Elijah, who preached to the de- 
generate Kingdom of Israel, and did many signs and wonders by 
the power of God, until finally he was taken into heaven. And 
the spirit of Elijah fell upon his servant and disciple Elisha. — 
The First and Second Book of Kings tells you about these two 
Prophets. (1 Kings 17 — 2 Kings 11.) 

There were many Prophets in Israel. 

But let me speak of just a few of the Prophets whose writings 
and prophecies we have in the Bible. 

Foremost among them is Isaiah, who lived in the Kingdom 
of Judah before its fall. 

You have already heard some of the prophecies of Isaiah 
saying that the Kedeemer should be both God and man: David's 
son and the Virgin's son. 



90 

Let me show you but two more prophecies of Isaiah, although 
his prophecies regarding Christ are very many. 

The first prophecy I have reference to is this: "The voice of 
him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, 
make straight in the desert a highway for our God/' Is. 40, 3. 
Here Isaiah prophesies, — please remember this, — that before 
the promised Woman's Seed, the Eedeemer who is God the Lord, 
would come, there would be a Prophet, a preacher, in the wilder- 
ness, going before Him and preparing the way for Him. 

The second prophecy which I would mention is this : — "He 
(the Redeemer) shall grow up before Him (God) as a tender plant,, 
and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor come- 
liness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we 
should desire Him." (While Isaiah prophesies, he relates the 
things which he saw in the spirit: hence he speaks as though 
these things had already occurred.) "He is despised and rejected 
of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we 
hid as it were our faces from Him. He was despised, and we 
esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried 
our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and 
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was 
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon 
Him; and with His stripes, we are healed. All we like sheep have 
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the 
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, 
and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth : He is brought 
as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is 
dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. He was taken from prison 
and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for 
He was cut off out of the land of the living : for the transgression 
of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the 
wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no 
violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the 
Lord to bruise Him ; He hath put Him to grief : when Thou shalt 
make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall 
prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in 
His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be 
satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify 
many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide 
Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with 



91 

the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: 
and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the 
sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors/' 
Is. 53, 2—12. 

Shall you, my reader, be among the spoils that the Savior 
carries out of the fray, when once you have learned to know Him ? 

The Prophet Micah, who was contemporary with Isaiah, 
prophesied concerning the birth of the great Son of David, saying : 
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the 
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me 
that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from 
of old, from everlasting/ 7 Micah 5, 2. 

At the time of the Babylonian captivity the three great 
Prophets, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, preached. The first 
of these prophesied among the few Jews that had remained in 
their country. The other Prophets preached among the captives. 
Ezekiel preached thus regarding the Son of David : "I will set 
up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even my 
servant David; He shall feed them, and He shall be their Shep- 
herd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David 
a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it," Ezek. 34, 
23. 24. Daniel in a most distinct and remarkable way prophesied 
how the great world powers should follow upon one another and 
perish, and how the eternal kingdom should be established through 
the "Messiah, the Prince/' And indeed, the fulfillment of his 
prophecies lies plainly before us in the history of the world. 

After the Babylonian captivity there arose among the Jewish 
people the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. 

At Haggai's time the temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt. And 
he prophesied about the Messiah, that is, Christ, as follows : "For 
thus saith the Lord of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and 
I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry 
land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations 
shall come. And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord 
of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of 
the former, saith the Lord of hosts. And in this place will I give 
peace, saith the Lord of hosts/' Hagg. 2, 6. 7. 9. 

Zechariah prophesied: "Bejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; 
shout, daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy King cometh unto 



92 

thee : He is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon 
an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass," Zech. 9, 9. 

Malachi, the last of the Prophets, said, "Behold, I will send 
my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the 
Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the 
Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in : behold, He shall 
come, saith the Lord of hosts," Mai. 3, 1. 

Here again, just as in Isaiah, it is prophesied that a prophet, 
a preacher, a messenger should go before and prepare the way 
immediately before the arrival of the promised Redeemer, the 
Woman's Seed, the Messenger, and Preacher, and Executor of the 
covenant of grace, of Him who is the Lord. The same thing is 
prophesied by Malachi in the following words : "Behold, I will 
send you Elijah the prophet" (a prophet like unto Elijah) "before 
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he 
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart 
of the children to their fathers," Mai. 4, 5. 6. 

And this prophecy of Malachi concluded the prophecies re- 
garding Christ the Eedeemer. 



Part Two. 



>X*c 



CHAPTER I. 

How God Sent His Son, Born of a Woman. 

The Holy Spirit says in the Scriptures: "When the fullness 
of the time was come,, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, 
made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law, 
that we might receive the adoption of sons," Gal. 4, 4. 5. 

This is what I now want to show you from the Bible. — 

"There was in the days of King Herod a certain priest named 
Zacharias, and his wife was Elizabeth. They were both righteous 
before God. And they had no child, and they both were now well 
stricken in years. 

"And it came to pass that his lot was to burn incense when 
he went into the temple of the Lord." (That is, while the people 
prayed, he was to light the incense upon the altar of incense in the 
temple.) "And the whole multitude of the people were praying 
without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an 
angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled. But the angel 
said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard; and 
thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his 
name Johx. He shall be great in the sight of the Lord; and he 
shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to make ready 
a people prepared for the Lord. 

"And Zacharias said unto the angel, AYhereby shall I know 
this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 

"The angel answered, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence 
of God, and am sent to show thee these glad tidings. And, behold, 
thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these 
things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words. 

"And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he 
tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could 
not speak unto them; and he beckoned unto them and remained 
speechless." 

The child whose birth was heralded here was not to be the 
Savior, you understand, but that forerunner of the Savior foretold 
by the Prophets. — 



96 

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto 
a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused" (engaged 
to be married) "to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of 
David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in 
unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is 
with thee : blessed art thou among women ! 

"And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and 
cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast 
found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy 
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. 
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And 
He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His king- 
dom there shall be no end." (Mary, too, was descended from King 
David.) 

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing 
I know not a man? 

"The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow 
thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee 
shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, 
she hath also conceived a son in her old age : and this is the sixth 
month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing 
shall be impossible. 

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be it 
unto me according to thy word. 

"And the angel departed from her. 

"And Mary arose in those days, and entered into the house of 
Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth. And Elizabeth was filled with 
the Holy Ghost; and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, 
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy 
womb. And whence cometh it to me, that the mother of my Lord 
should come to me? Blessed is she that believed; for there shall 
be a performance of those things which were told her from 
the Lord. 

"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my 
spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior. For He hath regarded the 
low estate of His handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all 
generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath 
done to me great things; and holy is His name. . . . He hath 



97 

holpen His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; as He 
spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever. 

"And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned 
to her own house." — 

"Now the angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream, 
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, 
thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." ("Jesus" 
means "Savior.") "Now all this was done that it might be ful- 
filled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Behold, 
a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they 
shall call His name Emanuel, which being interpreted is, God 
with us. 

"Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the 
Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife." — 

"Now Elizabeth brought forth a son. And her neighbors and 
her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; 
and they rejoiced with her. 

"And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; 
and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And 
his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John. 
And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called 
by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would 
have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote., 
saying, His name is John. 

"And they marveled all. 

"And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue 
loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And all they that heard 
this, laid it up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall 
this be ! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 

"And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for 
He hath visited and redeemed His people. . . . And thou, child, 
shalt be called the prophet of the Highest ; for thou shalt go before 
the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; to give knowledge of 
salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through 
the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on 
high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, 
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.. 



98 

"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in 
the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel." — 

"And it came to pass in those days that there went out a 
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 
And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor off 
Syria. And all went to be taxed, ever}' one into his own city. 

"And Joseph- also went up from Galilee, out of the city of 
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called 
Bethlehem, because he was out of the house and lineage of David, 
to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. 

"And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were 
accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth 
her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and 
laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in 
the inn. 

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in 
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the 
angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord 
shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the 
angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you 
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the 
Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you : Ye shall find the Babe 
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the 
heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

"And as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, 
the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth- 
lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord 
hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found 
Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. 

"And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the 
saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all they 
that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by 
the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them 
in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising 
God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was 
. told unto them." — 



99 

"And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising 
of the Child, His name was called JESUS, which was so named 
of the angel before He was conceived in the womb." — 

"And when the days of her purification according to the Law 
of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to 
present Him to the Lord. 

"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name 
was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for 
the consolation of Israel. And it was revealed to him by the Holy 
Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's 
Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. 

"And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, he took 
Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest 
Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for 
mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared be- 
fore the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and 
the glor} r of Thy people Israel." — 

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, behold, there came 
wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is 
born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, 
and are come to worship Him. 

"When Herod, the king, had heard these things, he was 
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered 
all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded 
of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, 
In Bethlehem of Judaea ; for thus it is written by the Prophet, And 
thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the 
princes of Juda; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall 
rule my people Israel. 

"Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, 
enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he 
sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for tne 
young Child ; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, 
that I may come and worship Him also. 

"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the 
star, which they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and 
stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, 
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come 
into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, 
and fell down, and worshiped Him; and when they had opened 



100 

their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts : gold, frankincense, 
and myrrh. 

"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not 
return to Herod, they departed into their country another way. 

"When the wise men were departed, behold, the angel of the 
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the 
young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou 
there until I bring thee word ; for Herod will seek the young Child 
to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His 
mother by night, and departed into Egypt. 

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise 
men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children 
that were in Bethlehem, from two years old and under. 

"But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord 
appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take 
the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; 
for they are dead which sought the Child's life. And he arose, and 
took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of 
Israel, and dwelt in a city called Nazareth" — 

"The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at the 
feast of passover. And when He was. twelve years old, they went up 
to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had 
fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind 
in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of it. But 
they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day's 
journey ; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaint- 
ance. And when they found Him not, they turned back again to 
Jerusalem, seeking Him. 

"And after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting 
in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them 
questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His under- 
standing and answers. And when they saw Him, they were amazed. 
And His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast Thou thus dealt 
with us? Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. 
And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye 
not that I must be about my Father's business? And they under- 
stood not the saying which He spake unto them. 

"And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and 
was subject to them; but His mother kept all those sayings in 
her heart. 



101 

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor 
with God and man." 

Let the earth now praise the Lord 
Who hath truly kept His word, 
And the sinners' Help and Friend 
Now at last to us doth send. 

What the fathers most desired, 
What the prophets' heart inspired, 
What they longed for many a year, 
Stands fulfilled in glory here. 

Abram's promised great Reward, 
Zion's Helper, Jacob's Lord, 
He of twofold race, behold, 
Truly came, as long foretold. 

Welcome, my Savior, now! 
Hail! my Portion. Lord, art Thou! 
Here, too, in my heart, I pray, 
prepare Thyself a way. 



CHAPTER II. 



How John Administered His Office, and How 
Jesus Entered Upon His Office. 

"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod (Antipas) 
being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea 
and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of 
Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of 
God came unto John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness." 
(John was thirty years old.) "As it is written in the Prophets, 
Behold, I send my messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare 
Thy way before Thee. 

"And John the Baptist came into all the country about 
Jordan, and preached in the wilderness of Judaea the baptism of 
repentance for the remission of sins, and said, Repent ye, for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand! For this is he that it is written of 
in the book of the words of Esaias the Prophet, saying, The voice of 
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make 
His paths straight. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 



102 

"And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a 
leathern girdle abont his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild 
honey. 

"Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the 
region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, 
confessing their sins. 

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come 
to his baptism, he said unto them, generation of vipers, who 
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth 
therefore fruits meet for repentance. And think not to say within 
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you, 
that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore 
every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn clown, and 
cast into the fire. 

"And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused 
in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not, John 
answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; 
but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am 
not worthy to unloose : He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost 
and with fire. 

"And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto 
the people." — 

"Then cometh Jesus unto John, to be baptized of him. But 
John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, 
and comest Thou to me? 

"Jesus answered, Suffer it to be so now; for thus it be- 
cometh us to fulfill all righteousness. 

"Then he suffered Him. 

"And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out 
of the water, and prayed; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto 
Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, 
and lighting upon Him; and, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." — 

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to 
be tempted of the Devil. And when He had fasted forty days 
and forty nights, He afterward hungered. And when the tempter 
came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that 
these stones be made bread. — But He answered, It is written, 



103 

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro- 
eeedeth out of the mouth of God. 

"Then the Devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth 
Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, If Thou 
be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall 
give His angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they 
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against 
a stone. — Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt 
not tempt the Lord, thy God. 

"Again the Devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high 
mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and 
the glory of them, and saith unto Him, All these things will I give 
Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. — Then said Jesus 
unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt 
worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. 

"Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold, the angels came 
and ministered unto Him." 

Here the Woman's Seed, Jesus Christ, withstood the tempta- 
tions of Satan for us, and thus made good the loss occasioned by 
Adam's fall and our fall. — 

"And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests 
and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 

"And he confessed, I am not the Christ. 

"And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? 

"He saith, I am not. 

"Art thou that Prophet? 

"And he answered, No. 

"Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give 
an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 

"He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias. 

"And they which were sent said unto him, Why baptizest 
thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that 
Prophet ? 

"John answered them, saying, I baptize with water : but 
there standeth one among you whom ye know not, He it is who, 
coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am 
not worthy to unloose. 

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, 
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the six of 



104 

the world. This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man 
which is preferred before me: for He was before me. And I 
knew Him not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel, 
therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, 
saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and 
it abode upon Him. And I knew Him not : but He that sent me 
to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou 
shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same 
is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and 
bare record that this is the Son of God. 

"Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of his dis- 
ciples, and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he saith, Behold 
the Lamb of God ! And the two disciples heard him speak, and 
they followed Jesus. 

"Then Jesus turned, and saith unto them, What seek ye? 

"They said unto Him, Eabbi, where dwellest Thou? 

"He saith unto them, Come and see. 

"They came and saw, and abode with Him that day. One 
of the two which heard John speak, and followed Jesus, was 
Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. He first findeth his own brother 
Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias! And 
he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, 
Thou art Simon, the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas 
(stone, rock). 

"The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and 
findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me ! Now Philip was 
of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 

"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have 
found Him of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets, did 
write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 

"And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing 
come out of Nazareth? 

"Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 

"Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, 
Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. 

"Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest Thou me? 

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called 
thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 

"Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art 
the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel. 



105 

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, 
I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see 
greater things than these." 

Thus Jesus gathered His first disciples. 

my child, learn to know Jesus and become His disciple ! 

O Jesus, Lamb of God, who art 
The Life and Comfort of my heart, 
I, wretched sinner, come to Thee 
And bring so many sins with me. 

God, my sinfulness is great, 

1 groan beneath a dreadful weight; 
Yet be Thou merciful, I pray, 
Take guilt and punishment away. 

Saint John the Baptist biddeth me 
To cast my burden, Lord, on Thee, 
Since Thou hast left Thy heavenly throne, 
That for our sins Thou mightst atone. 

Help me amend my ways, O Lord, 
And willingly obey Thy Word; 
Do always, then, abide with me, 
And when I die, take me to Thee. 



CHAPTER III. 

How Jesus Worked Miracles. 

Jesus worked miracles, or wonders. 

He is Himself a wonder. "His name shall be called Wonder- 
ful," says the Prophet concerning Him. For He is the Man 
who is the Lord God. "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son 
is given . . . and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 
The mighty God, The everlasting Father," says the Prophet. And 
the angel at Bethlehem said: "Unto you is born this day a 
Savior, which is Christ the Lord!' 

In order to manifest Himself as such Jesus performed 
miracles. 

A miracle is an act, an event, which is contrary to the laws 
and the course of nature. 

God has made the laws of nature and maintains them. God 
only, therefore, can break them. God only can work miracles, 



106 

wonders. Who does not believe that God can perform miracles 
has come to the point where he believes nothing at all, though 
nature with a thousand voices tells him of it, tells him that there- 
is a living God, almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. 

By working miracles Jesus manifested Himself as bein^ 
God, God who became man and our Savior. 

The fact that Jesus did miracles is testified by Scriptures. 

And you shall know that the Bible tells the truth if you read 
it as one who seeks after God. 

Jesus worked miracles. 

And some of His miracles I will relate to you in this 
chapter. — 

1. "And there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the 
mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus was called, and His 
disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the 
mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine. Jesus saith 
unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is 
not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever 
He saith unto you, do it. 

"And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the 
manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three 
firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with 
water. And they filled them up to the brim. And He saith unto 
them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. 
And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast tasted the water 
that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, the governor 
of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every 
man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men 
have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept 
the good wine until now. 

"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, 
and manifested His glory ; and His disciples believed on Him." — 

2. "So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee. And there 
was a certain nobleman" (courtier, ruler), "whose son was sick 
at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of 
Judaea into Galilee, he went unto Him, and besought Him that 
He would come down, and heal his son : for he was at the point 
of death. 

"Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders,, 
ye will not believe. 



107 

"The nobleman saith unto Him, Sir, come down ere my 
child die. 

"Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. 

"And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto 
him, and he went his way. And as he was going down, his 
servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then 
enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And 
they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left 
him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in the which 
Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth : and himself believed, and 
his whole house. 

"This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when He 
was come out of Judaea into Galilee." — 

3. "And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him 
to hear the Word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 
and saw two ships standing by the lake; but the fishermen were 
gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And He entered 
into one of the ships, which was Simon's (Peter's), and prayed 
him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And He 
sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 

"And when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, 
Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 

"And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we have toiled 
all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless, at Thy word 
I will let down the net. 

"And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multi- 
tude of fishes; and their net brake. And they beckoned unto 
their partners in the other ship that they should come and help 
them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they 
began to sink. 

"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, 
saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, Lord. For 
he was astonished at the draught of the fishes; and so was also 
James and John, which were partners with Simon. 

"And Jesus said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you 
fishers of men. 

"And when they had brought their ships to land, they for- 
sook all, and followed Him." — 

4:. "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came 
unto Him a centurion" (a captain over hundred men), "beseech- 



108 

ing Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the 
palsy, grievously tormented. 

"And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

"The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy 
that Thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word 
only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under 
authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, 
and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to 
my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

"When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to them that 
followed, Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, 
no, not in Israel/ 7 (The centurion was a Eoman heathen.) 

"And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as 
thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. 

"And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." — 

5. "And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples fol- 
lowed Him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, 
insomuch that the sea was covered with the waves; but He 
was asleep. 

"And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 
Lord, save us; we perish! 

"And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, ye of little 
faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and 
there was a great calm. 

"But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is 
this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!" — 

6. "And He passed over, and came into His own city (Caper- 
naum). And, behold, they brought unto Him a man sick of the 
palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus seeing their faith, said unto 
the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be for- 
given thee. 

"And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, 
This man blasphemeth. 

"And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore think 
ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be 
forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may 
know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, 
then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, 
and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. 



109 

"But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified 
God which had given such power unto men/' — 

7. "And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, 
Jairus by name, and worshiped Him, saying, My daughter is even 
now dead: but come and lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall 
live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did His disciples. 

"And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue 
of blood twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of 
His garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch His 
garment, I shall be whole. 

"But Jesus turned Him about, and when He saw her, He 
said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee 
whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 

"And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the 
minstrels, and the people making a noise, He said unto them, 
Give place : for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they 
laughed Him to scorn. 

"But when the people were put forth, He went in, and took 
her by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi (Damsel, arise) ! 
And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of 
the age of twelve years. 

"And they were astonished with a great astonishment." — 

8. "And it came to pass afterward that Jesus went into a city 
called Nam; and many of His disciples went with Him, and 
much people. Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, 
behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his 
mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was 
with her. 

"And when Jesus saw her, He had compassion on her, and 
said unto her, Weep not! And He came and touched the bier; 
and they that bare him stood still. And He said, Young man, 
I say unto thee, Arise ! And he that was dead sat up, and began 
to speak. And He delivered him to his mother. 

"And there came a fear on all ; and they glorified God, saying, 
That a great Prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath 
visited His people. And this rumor of Him went out throughout 
all Judaea, throughout all the region round about." — 

9. "After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee 
(Sea of Tiberias). And a great multitude followed Him, because 
they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. 



110 

And Jesus wont up into a mountain, and there He sat with His 
disciples. 

"When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great com- 
pany come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy 
bread that these may eat? And this He said to prove him, for 
He Himself knew what He would do. 

"Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread 
is not sufficient for them that every one of them may take a little. 

"Andrew saith unto Him, There is a lad here which hath five 
barley loaves, and two small fishes; but what are they among 
so many? 

"And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was 
much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about 
five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had 
given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to 
them that were sat down; and likewise of the fishes as much as 
they would. 

"When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather 
up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore 
they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the 
fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and 
above unto them that had eaten. 

"Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus 
did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into 
the world/ 7 — 

10. "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come 
and take Him by force, and make Him king, He constrained His 
disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other 
side. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up 
into the mountain apart to pray. 

"And His disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into 
a ship. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 
And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. But the 
ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves. 

"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, 
walking on the sea. And He would have passed by them. And 
when they saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, 
saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straight- 
way Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; 
be not afraid. 



Ill 

"And Peter answered Him, and said, Lord, if it be Thou, 
bid me come imto Thee on the water. 

"And He said, Come ! 

"And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked 
on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, 
he was afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, Lord, save me ! 

"And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught 
him, and said unto him, thou of little faith, wherefore didst 
thou doubt? 

"And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 
And immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. 
Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, 
Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." — 

11. "Then Jesus departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 
And, behold, a woman of Canaan" (a heathen woman, therefore) 
"came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have 
mercy on me, Lord, Thou son of David; my daughter is griev- 
ously vexed with a devil. 

""But He answered her not a word. 

"And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send 
her away; for she crieth after us. 

"But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost 
sheep of the house of Israel" (that is, as concerns His signs and 
miracles). 

"Then came she and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me ! 

"But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the chil- 
dren's" (the children of Israel's) "bread, and to cast it to the 
dogs" (the heathen). 

"And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs 
which fall from their masters' table. 

"Then Jesus answered and said unto her, woman, great is 
thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt. 

"And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." — 

12. "Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, 
the town of Mary and her sister Martha. Their brother Lazarus 
was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord, 
behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, He 
said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, 
that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved 
Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When He had heard there- 



112 

fore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place 
where He was. Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let 
us go into Judaea again. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go 
that I may awake him out of sleep. 

"Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had 
spoken of taking rest in sleep. 

"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And 
I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may 
believe; nevertheless, let us go unto him. 

"Then when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the 
grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem. 
And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them 
concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that 
Jesus was coming, went and met Him: but Mary sat still in the 
house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been 
here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now, what- 
soever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. 

"Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 

"Martha saith unto Him, I know that he shall rise again 
in the resurrection at the last day. 

"Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection and the Life: 
he that oelieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 
and whosoever liveth and oelieveth in me shall never die. Be- 
lievest thou this? 

"She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art 
the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 

"And when she had so said, she went her way, and called 
Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth 
for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came 
unto Him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was 
in that place where Martha met Him. The Jews then which were 
with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, 
that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She 
goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come 
where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying 
unto Him, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 

"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also 
weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was 
troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? 



113 

"They said unto Him, Lord, come and see. 
" Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him ! 
And some of them said, Could not this man which opened the 
eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not 
have died? 

"Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself cometh to the 
grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take 
ye away the stone. 

"Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, 

Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 

"Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee that, if thou 

wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they 

took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. 

"And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, Father, I thank 
Thee that Thou hast heard me. And I knew that Thou hearest 
me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, 
that they may believe that Thou hast sent me. And when He 
thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ! 
"And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with 
graveclothes : and his face was bound about with a napkin. 
"Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." — 
The Holy Scriptures record still more miracles of the Lord 
Jesus. But you may read them there. This book cannot contain 
them all. These I write that you may behold His glory and be- 
lieve in Him. 

Hail to the Lord's Anointed, 
Great David's greater Son! 
Hail, in the time appointed 
His reign on earth begun! 
He comes to break oppression, 
To set the captive free, 
To take away transgression, 
And rule in equity. 

He comes with succor speedy 
To those who suffer wrong; 
To help the poor and needy, 
And bid the weak be strong; 
To give them songs for sighing; 
Their darkness turn to light, 
Whose souls, condemned and dying', 
Were precious in His sight. 



114 



CHAPTER IV. 

How Jesus Receiveth Sinners. 

1. "And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat 
with him. And He went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down 
to meat. 

"And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when 
she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought 
an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him 
weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe 
them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed 
them with ointment. 

"Now when the Pharisee which had bidden Him saw it, he 
spake within himself, saying, This man, if He were a prophet, 
would have known who and what manner of woman this is that 
toucheth Him: for she is a sinner. 

"And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have some- 
what to say unto thee. 

"And he saith, Master, say on ! 

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors : the 
one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when he 
had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me there- 
fore, which of them will love him most? 

"Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he 
forgave most. 

"And He said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And 
He turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this 
woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water 
for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped 
them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but 
this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my 
feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint : but this woman 
hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, 
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven ; for she loved much : but 
to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 

"And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 

"And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within 
themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 

"And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go 
in peace." — 



115 

2. "Then drew near unto Him all the publicans" (tax col- 
lectors, who commonly were very dishonest) "and sinners for to 
hear Him. 

"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man 
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 

"And He spake this parable unto them, saying, What man 
of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth 
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that 
which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he 
layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, 
he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, 
Eejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner 
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which 
need no repentance. — Either what woman having ten pieces of 
silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep 
the house, and seek diligently until she find it? And when she 
hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, 
saying, Eejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had 
lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the 
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 

"And He said, A certain man had two sons : and the younger 
of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods 
that f alleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. — And 
not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and 
took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance 
with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a 
mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And 
he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he 
sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have 
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no 
man gave unto him. — And when he came to himself, he said, 
How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and 
to spare, and I perish with hunger ! I will arise and go to my 
father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against 
heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy 
son : make me as one of thy hired servants. — And he arose, 
and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, 
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on 
his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, 



116 

I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more 
worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, 
Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on 
his hand, and shoes on his feet : and bring hither the fatted calf, 
and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was 
dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they 
began to be merry. — Now his elder son was in the field : and 
as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and 
dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these 
things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and 
thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received 
him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: 
therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answer- 
ing said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither 
transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou 
never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends : 
but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy 
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And 
he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have 
is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: 
for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, 
and is found." — 

3. "And Jesus spake this parable unto certain which trusted 
in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others : — 

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Phari- 
see, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men 
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And 
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his 
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merci- 
ful to me a sinner! 

"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather 
than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be 
abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." — 

4. "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, 
behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief 
among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see 
Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was 



117 

little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a syca- 
more tree to see Him: for He was to pass that way. 

"And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw 
him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; 
for to-day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and 
came down, and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it, 
they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be a guest of a 
man that is a sinner. 

"And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, 
the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken 
anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 

"And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to 
this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the 
Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

"Jesus sinners doth receive!" 

O may all this saying ponder 

Who in sin's delusions live, 

And from God and heaven wander! 

This alone sure hope can give — 
"Jesus sinners doth receive!" 

We deserve but grief and shame, 
Yet His words, rich grace revealing, 
Pardon, peace, and life proclaim; 
Here their ills have perfect healing 
W T ho with humble hearts believe: 
"Jesus sinners doth receive!" 

Sheep that from the fold did stray 
Every faithful shepherd seeketh; 
Weary souls that lost their way, 
Christ the Shepherd seeks and taketh 
In His arms, that they may live — 
"Jesus sinners doth receive!" 

Come, ye sinners, one and all, 
Come, ye all have invitation; 
Come, obey His gracious call, 
Come and take His free salvation! 
Firmly in these words believe: 
"Jesus sinners doth receive!" 



118 



CHAPTER V. 



How God Wills that We Should Hear the Word of 
Jesus in the Holy Scriptures. 

"And it came to pass, Jesus took Peter and John and James, 
and went up into a mountain to pray, and was transfigured before 
them. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was 
altered, and did shine as the sun, and His raiment became shining 
as a light, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can 
white them. And, behold, there talked with Jesus two men, which 
were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory, and spake of His 
decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter 
and they that were with Him were heavy with sleep : and when 
they were awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood 
with Him. And it came to pass, as they departed from Him, 
Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let 
us make three tabernacles : one for Thee, and one for Moses, and 
one for Elias : not knowing what he said ; for they were sore 
afraid. 

"While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed 
them : and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there 
came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son in 
whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples 
heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus 
came, and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And 
when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus 
only with themselves. 

"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged 
them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be 
risen again from the dead. And they kept it close, and told no 
man in those days any of those things which they had seen. And 
they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with an- 
other what the rising from the dead should mean." 

Here Jesus, who usually walked about in lowliness as another 
man, appeared in that divine glory which He possessed at all 
times. 

Here we catch a glimpse of eternal life. For Moses and 
Elias, the Prophets who had lived on earth so many hundred 
years before, appeared bodily. 



119 

And this story teaches that we should hear the Word of Jesus 
which we have in Holy Writ. For God the Father said, "This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." 
And Peter writes : "For we have not followed cunningly devised 
fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 
For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when 
there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This 
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice 
which came from heaven we heard when we were with Him in 
the holy mount," 2 Pet. 1, 16—18. 

Do you, therefore, be like unto Mary of whom the Bible 
relates as follows : — 

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a 
certain village (Bethany) : and a certain woman named Martha 
received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, 
tuhich also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word. But Martha 
was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, 
Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve 
alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. 

"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, 
thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing 
is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not 
be taken away from her." 

So do you hear the Word of Jesus in the Holy Scriptures. 
That is the one thing needful. Do not let a worldly mind or de- 
lusive words lead you away from that. 

For just listen to the following serious story from the mouth 
of Jesus : — 

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple 
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. 

"And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was 
laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the 
crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs 
came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar 
died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" (close 
communion). 

"The rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he 
lift up his. eyes, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his 
bosom." (Yes, in hell there is a dreadful awakening!) "And he 



120 

cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send 
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool 
my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 

"But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy life- 
time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: 
but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all 
this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they 
which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass 
to us that would come from thence." (Yes, in hell one becomes 
aware of the opportunities one has forfeited.) 

"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou 
wouldest send him to my father's house : for I have five brethren ; 
that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place 
of torment. 

"Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the Prophets; 
let them hear them !" ( Do you see now what you should do ? You 
should hear the Word of Jesus as it is written in the Bible.) 

"And he said, Nay, Father Abraham: but if one went unto 
them from the dead, they will repent. 

"And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the 
Prophets, neither will they he persuaded, though one rose from 
the dead." 

You will find the Word of Jesus in the Bible, both in the Old 
and in the New Testament. The Old Testament is the revelation 
of God through the word and the writings of the Prophets before 
the birth of Christ. The New Testament is the revelation of God 
through the word and the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles 
after the birth of Christ. 

See how the Lord Jesus chose His New Testament witnesses 
and preachers : — 

"And it came to pass in those days that He went out into a 
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And 
when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples : and of them 
He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles" (messengers, am- 
bassadors). "And He ordained the twelve, that they should be 
with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach. And He 
said, It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which 
speaketh in you. 

"Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these : The first, 
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James, the 



121 

son of Zebedee, and John, his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew 
(or Nathanael) ; Thomas, and Matthew, the publican; James, the 
son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; 
Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." 

And now hear the story of John the Baptist, the great Prophet 
and forerunner of Christ. 

"Herod had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound 
him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife : for he 
had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful 
for thee to have thy brother's wife. 

"Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would 
have killed him ; but she could not : for Herod feared John, know- 
ing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and 
when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 

"And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his 
birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates 
of Galilee; and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, 
and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the 
king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and 
I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt 
ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 

"And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall 
I ask? 

"And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 

"And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and 
asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the 
head of John the Baptist. 

"And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, 
and for their sakes which sat with him he would not reject her. 
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded 
his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the 
prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the 
damsel : and the damsel gave it to her mother. 

"And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up 
his corpse, and laid it in a tomb, and went and told Jesus." 

And hear also how Jesus caresses little children and blesses 
them, and how, therefore, it certainly is His will that they be 
instructed in His Word as soon as possible. 

"And they brought infants (see Luke 18, 15) to Jesus, that 
He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that 



122 

brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased,, 
and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, 
and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily, 
I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God 
as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And He took them up 
in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them." — 

One thing's needful! then, Lord Jesus, 

Keep this one thing in my mind. 

All beside, though first it please us, 

Soon a grievous yoke we find; 

Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving, 

No true, lasting happiness ever deriving. 

The gain of this one thing all loss can requite, 

And teach me in all things to find true delight. 

How were Mary's thoughts devoted 

Her eternal joy to find, 

As intent each word she noted, 

At her Savior's feet reclined! 

How kindled her heart, how devout was its feeling, 

While hearing the lessons that Christ was revealing! 

For Jesus all earthly concerns she forgot, 

And all was repaid in that one happy lot. 

Thus my longings, heavenward tending, 

Jesus, rest alone on Thee; 

Help me, thus on Thee depending, 

Savior, come and dwell in me! 

Although all the world should forsake and forget Thee, 

In love will I follow Thee never to quit Thee; 

Lord Jesus, both spirit and life is Thy Word; 

And is there a joy which Thou dost not afford? 



CHAPTER VI. 

How Jesus Suffered and Died for Us. 

"And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem ; and Jesus- 
went before them : and they followed. And Jesus took the twelve 
disciples apart in the way, and began to tell them what things 
should happen unto Him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, 
and all things that are written by the Prophets concerning the 
Son of Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered 
unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall con- 
demn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles; and 



123 

He shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on : and 
they shall scourge Him, and put Him to death: and the third 
day He shall rise again. — And they understood none of these 
things : and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they 
the things which were spoken." 

You will marvel, dear reader, that Jesus says that the Scribes 
and Pharisees, the spiritual rulers of His own people, and of His 
church, will condemn Him. But if you read the story of the life 
of Jesus in the Bible, you will see that they always hated and 
persecuted Him. And why? Because they were earthly, worldly, 
carnal-minded, while Jesus was heavenly, divine, spiritual, and 
preached repentance and faith in Him, and eternal life. '"The 
light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it 
not." "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not," 
John 1, 5. 11. — 

"Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, 
where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom He raised from 
the dead. There they made Him a supper ; and Martha served : 
but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him. 
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, 
and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: 
and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 

"But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, 
To what purpose is this waste? And they murmured against her. 
Then said Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray Him, 
Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and 
given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; 
but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was 
put therein. 

"Then said Jesus, Let her alone ; why trouble ye the woman ? 
for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor 
with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: 
but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could : sh e 
is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Yerily, 
I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached through- 
out the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken 
of for a memorial of her." — 

"And it came to pass on the next day when they drew nigh 
unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount 
of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into 



124 

the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass 
tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 
And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath 
need of them; and straightway he will send them. 

"All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken 
by the Prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, 1 ) Behold, 
thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and 
a colt, the foal of an ass. 

"And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 
and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, 
and they set Him thereon. 

"And a very great multitude spread their garments in the 
way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them 
in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that fol- 
lowed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David : blessed is He 
that cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest !" — 

"And Jesus said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two 
days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed 
to be crucified. 

"Then assembled together the chief priests and the Scribes, 
and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, 
who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus 
by subtilty, and kill Him. — Then entered Satan into Judas, sur- 
named Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went 
his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how 
he might betray Him unto them, and said, What will ye give me, 
and I will deliver Him unto you ? And they covenanted with him 
for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought oppor- 
tunity to betray Him." — 

"And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us 
the passover" (the lamb of the passover), "that we may eat. And 
the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them. " Now when the 
even was come" (Thursday evening at six o'clock, which was the 
beginning of Friday according to Jewish custom), "He sat down 
with His disciples. And He said unto them, With desire have 
I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. 



1) "Sion" or "Zion" was the name of that mountain in the city of Jeru- 
salem on which the palace of David had stood. "Daughter of Sion" was the 
name of the city of Jerusalem. And, besides, the congregation of the faith- 
ful of the Old Testament was called by that name. 



125 

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread; and when He 
had given thanks, He brake it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 
Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you; this do in 
remembrance of me. 

"After the same manner also He took the cup when He had 
supped; and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, 
saying, Drink ye all of it; this cup is the new testament in my 
blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins; this do ye 
as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 

"And when they had sung an hymn, Jesus went, as He was 
wont, over the Brook Cedron to the Mount of Olives; and His 
disciples also followed Him. Then said He unto them, All ye 
shall be offended because of me this night : for it is written, I will 
smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after 
that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 

"But Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men 
shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. 

"Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, That this day, 
even this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny 
me thrice. 

"But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with 
Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise. — Likewise also said all 
the disciples. 

"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Geth- 
semane, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His 
disciples. 

"And Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place. 

"Then saith Jesus unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go 
and pray yonder. 

"And He taketh with Him Peter and James and John, and 
began to be sorrowful and sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 
and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death; 
tarry ye here and watch with me. 

"And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and 
fell on His face, and prayed, saying, Abba, Father, all things are 
possible unto Thee; take away this cup from me; nevertheless, 
not what I will, but what Thou wilt. 

"And He cometh to His disciples, and findeth them sleeping, 
and saith, Simon, sleepest thou? Watch and pray, that ye enter 
not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh 
is weak. 



126 

"He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, 
my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it, 
Thy will be done. 

"And He came and found them asleep again (for their eyes 
were heavy), neither wist they what to answer Him. 

"And He left them, and went away again, and prayed again, 
saying the same words. 

"And there appeared unto Him an angel from heaven, 
strengthening Him. 

"And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the 
ground. 

"And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His 
disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto them, 
Sleep on now, and take your rest. Why sleep ye ? It is enough : 
behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into 
the hands of sinners. Eise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand 
that doth betray me. Pray, lest ye enter into temptation/' 

Here in Gethsemane God verily and actually laid all the curse 
which we had deserved by our sins upon Christ, the Lamb of God. 

"And while He spake, lo, Judas came, and with him a great 
multitude, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, with 
lanterns and with torches, with swords and staves. And he that 
betrayed Him had given them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall 
kiss, the same is He; take Him, and lead Him away safely. 

"Jesus went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 

"They answered, Jesus of Nazareth. 

"Jesus saith unto them, I am He. And they went backward, 
and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye ? 

"And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. 

"Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He ; if, therefore, 
ye seek me, let these go their way. 

"And forthwith Judas came to Him, and said, Hail, Master! 
— and kissed Him. 

"And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? 
Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss? 

"Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. 

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the 
high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said 
unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath; for all they that 



127 

take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that 
I cannot pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more 
than twelve legions of angels? The cup which my Father hath 
given me, shall I not drink it ? But how then shall the Scriptures 
be fulfilled, that thus it must be? And He touched his ear, and 
healed him. 

"Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled." 

"Then the band and the officers of the Jews bound Jesus and 
led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the Scribes and 
the elders all were assembled. 

"The high priest then asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His 
doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world. Ask 
them which heard me. And when He had thus spoken, one of 
the officers struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, 
Answerest Thou the high priest so? Jesus answered him, If I 
have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; but if well, why smitest 
thou me? 

"Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought 
false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death, but found none; 
yea, though many false witnesses came, yet their witness agreed 
not together. 

"And the high priest asked Him, and said unto Him, I adjure 
Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the 
Christ, the Son of God. 

"Jesus saith, Thou hast said; I am. 

"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken 
blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? 

"And they all condemned Him, and said, He is guilty of death. 

"And the men that held Jesus mocked Him, and spat in His 
face, and buffeted Him. And when they had blindfolded Him, 
they struck Him on the face, and said, Prophesy unto us, Thou 
Christ, Who is it that smote Thee? And many other things 
blasphemously spake they against Him." — 

Now let me tell you what happened to Simon Peter during 
the time that Jesus stood before the chief council. 

"Peter followed Jesus afar off into the high priest's palace. 
And the servants and officers had made a fire of coals; and they 
warmed themselves; and Peter stood with them to see the end. 
Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not 
thou also one of this man's disciples? 



128 

"But he denied before them all, saying, Woman, I am not. 

"And after a little while, he went out into the porch; and 
the cock crew. 

"And another maid saw him, and said nnto them that stood 
by, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And another 
saith, Thou art also of them. 

"And again he denied with an oath, and said, Man, I am not ;, 
I do not know the man. 

"And about the space of one hour after another confidently 
affirmed, saying, Surely, thou art one of them; for thou art a 
Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. One of the servants 
of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off r 
saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with Him ? 

"Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not 
the man of whom ye speak. 

"And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew the 
second time. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And 
Peter remembered the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the 
cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out,, 
and wept bitterly." — 

And now hear about Judas. 

"Then Judas, which had betrayed Jesus, when he saw that 
He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty 
pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have 
sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood. 

"And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that! 

"And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and 
went and hanged himself." — 

"And the whole multitude of them arose, and bound Jesus,. 
and led Him from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment, and de- 
livered Him unto Pontius Pilate, the governor: and it was early. 

"Pilate went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring 
ye against this man? 

"And the chief priests and elders began to accuse Him of 
many things, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, 
and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself 
is Christ a King. 

"Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called 
Jesus, and asked Him, saying, Art Thou the King of the Jews?' 

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my 



129 

kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that 
I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom 
not from hence. 

"Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a King, then? 

"Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To this 
end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that 
I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the 
truth heareth my voice. 

"Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth? 
- "And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, 
and saith unto them, I find in Him no fault at all. 

"And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the 
people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to» 
this place. 

"When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man 
were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged unto 
Herod's jurisdiction he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was 
at Jerusalem at that time. And when Herod saw Jesus he was 
exceeding glad : for he was desirous to see Him of a long season,, 
because he had heard many things of Him, and he hoped to have 
seen some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned with Him 
in many words: but He answered him nothing. And the chief 
priests and Scribes stood, and vehemently accused Him. And 
Herod with his men of war set Him at naught, and mocked Him, 
and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate. 

"And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, 
and the rulers, and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought 
this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people : and, behold, 
I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this 
man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him; no, nor yet 
Herod. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him. 

"Now at the feast the governor was wont to release unto the 
people a prisoner whom they would. And they had then a notable 
prisoner, called Barabbas, that for sedition and murder was cast 
into prison; and the multitude crying aloud began to desire him 
to do as he had ever done unto them. Therefore when they were 
gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I re- 
lease unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus, the King of the Jews, which 
is called Christ ? For he knew that of envy the chief priests had 
delivered Him. 
9 



130 

"But the chief priests and elders persuaded and moved the 
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. 

"The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the 
twain will ye that I release unto you? 

"And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, 
and release unto us Barabbas ! 

"Pilate spake again to them, What shall I do then with Jesus 
which is called Christ? 

"They cried, Crucify Him, crucify Him! 

"And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath 
He done ? I have found no cause of death in Him : I will there- 
fore chastise Him, and let Him go. 

"And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify Him ! 
And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 

"Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. Then the sol- 
diers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered 
unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, 
and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a 
crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His 
right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked 
Him, and began to salute Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! 
And they smote Him with their hands, and spit upon Him, and 
took the reed, and smote Him on the head, and bowing their knees 
worshiped Him. 

"Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, 
Behold, I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I find 
no fault in Him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of 
thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold 
the man ! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, 
they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate saith 
unto them, Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault 
in Him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our 
law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God. 

"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more 
afraid ; and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto 
Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then 
saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest Thou not unto me? Knowest 
Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and have power to 
release Thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at 
all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore 



131 

he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from 
thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him : but the Jews cried out, 
saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: 
whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 

"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus 
forth, and sat down in the judgment seat: and he said unto the 
Jews, Behold your King ! But they cried out, Away with Him, 
away with Him, crucify Him ! Pilate saith unto them, Shall 
I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no 
king but Caesar. 

"When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that 
rather a tumult was made, willing to content the multitude he 
gave sentence that it should be as they required, and took water, 
and washed his hands, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this 
just person ; see ye to it ! Then answered all the people, and said, 
His blood be on us, and on our children! 

"Then released he unto them Barabbas that for sedition and 
murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired: and when 
they had mocked and scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to their 
will, to be crucified/ 7 — 

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus, and took the 
robe off Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him 
away to crucify Him. And He bearing His cross went forth. 

"And there were also two others, malefactors, l'ed with Him 
to be put to death. And they bring Him unto the place which is 
called in the Hebrew Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull. 
There they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right 
hand, and the other on the left, and Jesus in the midst. And the 
scripture was fulfilled which saith, And He was numbered with 
the transgressors. And it was the third hour" (nine o'clock in 
the morning). 

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not 
what they do. 

"And Pilate wrote a title of His accusation, and put it on 
the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZAKETH, 
THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

"Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His 
garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also 
His coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top 
throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not 



132 

rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture 
might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among 
them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. (Ps. 22, 18.) 

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His 
mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. 
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing 
by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold 
thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! 
And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. 

"And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, 
and saying, Ah, save Thyself ! If Thou be the Son of God, come 
down from the cross ! Likewise the chief priests mocking said 
among themselves with the Scribes and elders and the people, 
He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be Christ, the 
King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, that we 
may see and believe. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him 
now, if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God. 
The thieves also which were crucified with Him cast the same 
in His teeth. And the soldiers also mocked Him, saying, If Thou 
be the king of the Jews, save Thyself! 

"And one of the malefactors railed on Him, saying, If Thou 
be Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other answering, rebuked 
him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same 
condemnation ? And we indeed justly ; for we receive the due 
reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest 
in Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto 
thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 

"And it was' about the sixth hour (12 o'clock, at noon), and 
there was a darkness all over the earth until the ninth hour 
(3 o'clock). And the sun was darkened. And about the ninth 
hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabach- 
thani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken 
me? And some of them said, Behold, He calleth Elias. 

"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accom- 
plished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. And straightway one 
of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put 
it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. And He, together with the 
rest, said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him. 



133 

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, 
It is finished; and He cried again with a loud voice, saying, 
Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said 
thus, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. 

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from 
the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks 
rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints 
which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrec- 
tion, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

"And when the centurion, which stood over against Him, and 
they that were with him watching Jesus, saw that He so cried out, 
and gave up the ghost, and the earthquake and those things that 
were done, they feared greatly, and glorified God, and said, Cer- 
tainly this was a righteous man. Truly, this was the Son of God. 
And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the 
things which were done, smote their breasts and returned. 

"The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation" (before 
the beginning of the Sabbath: Friday, at sunset), "that the bodies 
should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that 
Sabbath day was a high day), besought Pilate that their legs 
might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came 
the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first and of the other which 
was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw 
that He was dead already, they brake not His legs : but one of the 
soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there 
out blood and water. 

"When the even was come, there came Joseph of Arimathaea, 
an honorable counselor, who had not consented to the counsel and 
deed of them. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body 
of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And 
there came also Nicodemus, and brought a mixture of myrrh and 
aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body 
of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the 
manner of the Jews is to bury. 

"Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; 
and in the garden a sepulcher, Joseph's own tomb, which he had 
hewn out in a rock : wherein never man before was laid. There 
laid they Jesus, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, 
and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene and other women, 
sitting over against the sepulcher, and beheld where and how His 



134 

body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and oint- 
ments, and rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment. 
"The next day the chief priests and Pharisees came unto 
Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while He 
was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command there- 
fore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest His 
disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and say unto the 
people, He is risen from the dead : so the last error shall be worse 
than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your 
way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went and made the 
sepulcher sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch." 

Hail, Thou once despised Jesus! 
Hail, Thou Galilean King! 
Thou didst suffer to release us; 
Thou didst free salvation bring. 
Hail, Thou agonizing Savior, 
Bearer of our sin and shame! 
By Thy merits we find favor: 
Life is given through Thy name. 

Paschal Lamb, by God appointed, 
All our sins on Thee were laid; 
By almighty love anointed, 
Thou hast full atonement made. 
All Thy people are forgiven, 
Through the virtue of Thy blood: 
Open is the gate of heaven; 
Peace is made 'twixt man and God. 



CHAPTER VII. 

How Jesus Rose from the Dead. 

"When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, 
the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices that 
they might come and anoint Him. 

"And when it was yet dark, as it began to dawn toward the 
first day of the week, they came bringing the spices which they 
had prepared, and certain others with them. 

"And there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the 
Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone 
from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like light- 
ning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the 
keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 



135 

"And the women said among themselves, Who shall roll us 
away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they 
looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was 
very great. 

"When Mary Magdalene seeth the stone taken away from the 
sepulcher, she runneth to tell these things unto the Apostles. 

"And they" (some of the women) "entered the sepulcher, 
and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, 
as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood 
by them in shining garments : and as they were afraid, and bowed 
down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye 
the living among the dead ? He is not here, but is risen : remember 
how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The 
Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and 
be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered 
His words, and returned from the sepulcher, and told all these 
things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. And their words 
seemed unto them as idle tales, and they believed them not. 

"And the (other) women entering the sepulcher, saw a young 
man sitting on the right hand side, clothed in a long white gar- 
ment; and they were affrighted. And the angel said unto them, 
Be not affrighted; for I know, ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which 
was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, 
see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His 
disciples, and Peter, that He is risen from the dead; and, behold. 
He goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see Him : lo, 
I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher 
with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word; 
for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they anything 
to any man; for they were afraid. 

"And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met 
them, saying, All hail ! And they came and held Him by the feet, 
and worshiped Him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: 
go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall 
they see me. 

"Then Mary Magdalene runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, 
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved (John), and saith 
unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, 
and we know not where they have laid Him. Peter therefore 
went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. 



136 

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun 
Peter, and came first to the sepulcher. And he stooping down, 
and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying ; yet went he not in. 
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the 
sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was 
about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped to- 
gether in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, 
which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed. For 
as yet they knew not the scripture that He must rise again from 
the dead. Then the disciples , went away again, and Peter was 
wondering in himself at all that which was come to pass. 

"But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as 
she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and 
seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the 
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they 
said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? 

"She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my 
Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she 
had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, 
and knew not that it was Jesus. 

"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom 
seekest thou? 

"She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, 
Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid 
Him, and I will take Him away. 

"Jesus saith unto her, Mary! 

"She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Eabboni; which 
is to say, Master. 

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet 
ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto 
them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my Glod, 
and your God. 

"Mary Magdalene went and told them that had been with 
Him, as they mourned and wept, that she had seen the Lord, and 
that He had spoken these things unto her." — 

"Now, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and 
showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And 
when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, 
they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His. 
disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. And 



137 

if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and 
secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught : 
and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until 
this day." — 

"And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village 
called Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things 
which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they com- 
muned together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went 
with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know 
Him. And He said unto them, What manner of communications 
are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad ? 

"And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering 
said unto Him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast 
not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 

"And He said unto them, What things? 

"And they said unto Him, Concerning Jesus of Xazareth, 
which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before G-od and all 
the people : and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered 
Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we 
trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel : 
and beside all this, to-day is the third day since these things were 
done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us 
astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; and when they 
found not His body, they came, saying that they had also seen 
.a vision of angels, which said that He was alive. And certain of 
them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and found it even 
so as the women had said; but Him they saw not. 

"Then He said unto them, fools, and slow of heart to be- 
lieve all that the prophets have spoken ! Ought not Christ to have 
■suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning 
at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the 
Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 

"And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went : and 
He made as though He would have gone further. And they con- 
strained Him, saying, Abide with us : for it is toward evening, 
and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them. 
And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, 
.and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 

"And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. 

"And He vanished out of their sight. 



138 

"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within 
us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to 
us the Scriptures ? And they rose up the same hour, and returned 
to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them 
that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath 
appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the 
way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread. 
Neither believed they (all) them. 

"Then, as the doors were shut for fear of the Jews, Jesus 
Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace 
be unto you ! 

"But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that 
they had seen a spirit. 

"And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why 
do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,, 
that it is I myself : handle me and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh 
and bones, as ye see me have. And when He had thus spoken, He 
showed them His hands and His feet. And while they yet be- 
lieved not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye 
here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and 
of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them. 

"Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 

"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you ! As my 
Father 'hath sent me, even so send I you. And when He had said 
this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the 
Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto 
them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained. 

"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not. 
with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said 
unto him, We have seen the Lord. But He said unto them, 
Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put 
my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into 
His side, I will not believe. 

"And after eight days again His disciples were within, and 
Thomas with them : then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and 
stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you ! Then saith he 
to Thomas, Eeach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and 
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not 
faithless, but believing. 

"And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and 
my God! 



139 

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, 
thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet 
have believed/' — 

"After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the dis- 
ciples at the Sea of Tiberias. 

"And on this wise showed He Himself. 

"There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, called Didy- 
mus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee 
(James and John), and two other of His disciples. Simon Peter 
saith unto them, I go a-fishing. They say unto him, We also go 
with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; 
and that night they caught nothing. 

"But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the 
shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then saith 
Jesus unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered 
Him, Xo. And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side 
of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they 
were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 

"Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved (John) saith unto 
Peter, It is the Lord. 

"Xow when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt 
his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast 
himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship, 
(for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred 
cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 

"As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals 
there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, 
Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went 
up, and drew the net to the land, full of great fishes, an hundred 
and fifty and three : and for all there were so many, yet was not 
the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And 
none of the disciples durst ask Him, Who art thou? knowing that 
it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth 
them, and fish likewise. 

"This is now the third time that Jesus showed Himself to 
His disciples, after that He was risen from the dead. 

"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, 
son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? 

"He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I 
love Thee. 

"He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 



140 

"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, 
lovest thon me? 

"He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thon knowest that I 
love Thee. 

"He saith nnto him, Feed my sheep. 

"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, 
lovest thou me? 

"Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, 
Lovest thou me ? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all 
things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. 

"Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say 
unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and 
walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thou 
shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and 
carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake He, signifying 
by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken 
this, He saith unto him, Follow me ! 

"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus 
loved following. Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what 
shall this man do? 

"Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, 
what is that to thee? Follow thou me. 

"Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that 
disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall 
not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that 
to thee?" 

"After that, Jesus was seen of above five hundred brethren 
at once." 

"And last of all He was seen of me also (St. Paul)." — 

Christ is arisen 
From death's painful prison. 
Now we rejoice with gladness; 
Christ will end all sadness. 

Kyrieleis ! ( Lord, have mercy ! ) 

All the world had ended, 
Had Jesus not ascended 
From grave and death triumphantly. 
For this, Lord Christ, we honor Thee. 
Kyrieleis ! 

Hallelujah ! Hallelujah ! Hallelujah ! 
Now we rejoice with gladness ; 
Christ will end all sadness. 
Kyrieleis ! 



141 

CHAPTER VIII. 
How Jesus Ascended into Heaven. 

"Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a 
mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw 
Him, they worshiped Him : but some doubted. And Jesus came 
and spake unto them, saying, .1// power is given unto me in heaven 
and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end 
of the world. 

"Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, 
and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, 
because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was 
risen. And He said unto them. Go ye into all the world, and 
preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved; but he that belie veth not shall be damned. 
And these signs shall follow them that believe : In my name shall 
they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they 
shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it 
shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they 
shall recover. 

"And Jesus showed Himself alive to the Apostles after His 
passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, 
and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of G-od. 

"And being assembled together with them. He commanded 
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for 
the promise of the Father, which, sairn He, ye have heard of me." 
(The disciples were to receive the Holy Ghost in an exceptional 
measure.) ''And He said unto them. These are the words which 
I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must 
be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the 
Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then "opened He 
their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. 
and said unto them. Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ 
to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that re- 
pentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name 
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses 
of these things. And. behold, I send the promise of my Father 



142 

upon you : but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued 
with power from on high. For John truly baptized with water; 
but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 

"When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, 
saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom 
of Israel? 

"And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times 
or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power. But 
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : 
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all 
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the world. 

"So, then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, He led them 
out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed 
them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted 
from them, and carried up into heaven, and while they beheld, 
He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight, 
and He sat on the right hand of God. 

"And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He 
went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which 
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 
This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so 
come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. 

"And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem from 
the mount called Olivet with great joy." 

Draw us to Thee, Draw us to Thee, 

For then shall we O grant that we 

Walk in Thy steps forever, May find the road to heaven; 

And hasten on Direct our way, 

Where Thou art gone, Lest we should stray, 

To be with Thee, dear Savior. And from Thy paths be driven. 

Draw us to Thee, Draw us to Thee 

Lord, lovingly; That also we 

Let us depart with gladness, Thy heavenly bliss inherit, 

That we may be And ever dwell 

Forever free Where sin and hell 

From sorrow, grief and sadness. No more can vex our spirit. 

Draw us to Thee 

Unceasingly, 

Into Thy kingdom take us; 

Let us fore'er 

Thy glory share, 

Thy saints and joint-heirs make us. 



143 



CHAPTER IX. 

How the Holy Ghost was Poured Out upon the Disciples, 

How Peter Preached the First Pentecostal Sermon, and 

How a Christian Congregation was Gathered in 

Jerusalem. 

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come" (the fiftieth 
day after the Passover, the Jewish feast of the firstfruits of the 
harvest), "they were all with one accord in one place. 

"The number of names together were about an hundred 
and twenty. 

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rush- 
ing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and 
it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy 
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the 
Spirit gave them utterance. 

"And" (because of the feast) "there were dwelling at Jeru- 
salem Jews, devout men. out of every nation under heaven. Xow 
when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and 
were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his 
own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying 
one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? 
And how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were 
born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in 
Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about 
Cyrene, and strangers of Eome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and 
Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful 
works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying 
one to another, What meaneth this ? 

"Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, 
and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at 
Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words : for 
these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third 
hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet 
Joel : And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will 
pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. (Joel 3, 1 — 5.) Ye men of 
Israel, hear these words : Jesus of Xazareth, a man approved of 



144 

God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did 
by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, 
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of 
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain : 
whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: be- 
cause it was not possible that He should be holden of it. For David 
speaketh concerning Him, I foresaw the Lord always before my 
face, for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 
therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover 
also my flesh shall rest in hope: because Thou wilt not leave my 
soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see cor- 
ruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou 
shalt make me full of joy with Thy countenance. (Ps. 16.) Men 
and brethren, let me speak freely unto you of the patriarch David, 
that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto 
this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had 
sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according 
to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne ; he see- 
ing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul 
was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This 
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore 
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the 
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this 
which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the 
heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit 
Thou on my right hand, until I make Thy foes my footstool. 
(Ps. 110.) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, 
that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both 
Lord and Christ. 

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, 
and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and 
brethren, what shall we do? 

"Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you 
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, 
and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many 
as the Lord, our God, shall call. And with many other words did 
he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward 
generation. 

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and 



145 

the same day there were added unto them about three thou- 
sand souls. 

"And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and 
fellowship, and in breaking of bread" (the Lord's Supper), "and 
in prayers. And fear came upon every soul : and many wonders 
and signs were done by the Apostles. And they, continuing daily 
with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to 
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 
]3raising God, and having favor with all the people. And the 
Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved." 

Now do we pray God the Holy Ghost 
For the true faith which we need the most, 
And that He defend us, when life is ending, 
And from exile home we shall be wending. 
Lord, have mercy! 

Shine in our hearts, most precious Light, 
That we Jesus Christ may know aright, 
Clinging to our Savior, whose blood has bought us, 
Who again to our true home has brought us. 
Lord, have mercy! 

Thou sweetest Love, grace on us bestow, 
Set our hearts with heavenly fire aglow, 
That with hearts united we love each other., 
Of one mind, in peace with every brother. 
Lord, have mercy! 

Thou highest Comfort in every need! 
Grant that neither shame nor. death we heed, 
That e'en then our courage may never fail us, 
When at last th' Accuser shall assail us. 
Lord, have mercv! 



CHAPTER X. 
The Creed. 



We shall now proceed to consider the Second Chief Part 
of Dr. Martin Luther's Catechism, which treats of the Three 
Articles of the Holy Christian Creed. 

These Three Articles (links, parts) read thus: 
"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth. 
10 



146 

"And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was 
conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered 
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He de- 
scended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; 
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God 
the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the 
quick and the dead. 

"I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the 
communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection 
of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen." 

These Three Articles date from the very earliest times of 
the New Testament Christian Church. They are also called the 
Apostles' Creed, or simply, the Creed. "Creed" is derived from 
the Latin word credo, which means: I believe. These three 
articles contain in a very brief form the doctrine which God has 
revealed in the Bible, to the end that we should believe it and be 
saved by it. The Creed is the Christian flag or banner, by which 
the Christians are distinguished from all other people. 

These three articles are taken, not from the Law, but from 
the Gospel, from the glad tidings of the grace of God in Christ 
Jesus, our Savior. 

There is, you must know, a vast difference between the Law 
and the Gospel. And you must mark well this difference and seek 
to understand it aright. 

True, the Law and the Gospel, both, are God's doctrine. And 
both are contained in the Bible. 

But: — 

1. The Law, the doctrine which tells us how we are to be, 
what we are to do and what not to do, this doctrine we know to 
some extent by nature. Of the Gospel, however, we — by nature — 
know absolutely nothing; the Gospel is a mystery of God, which 
God has revealed in the Holy Scriptures. 

2. The Law tells us how we are to be and what we are to do 
and what not to do. But the Gospel tells us how God is minded 
toward us and what He has done, and still does, for our salvation. 

3. Thus the Law demands, and it threatens and condemns us 
sinners. But the Gospel promises and gives and seals unto us 
forgiveness of sins and life and salvation. 

4. The Law was given us chiefly for this purpose, that we 
should not live on securely and carelessly in sin, but should tremble 



147 

at our sins and the wrath of God and the damnation deserved. 
But the Gospel is then to make us joyfully and firmly trust and 
rely upon the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and live and die in 
such grace as dear children of God. 

Do you now see the difference between the Law and the 
Gospel ? 

From the Gospel, then, are taken the Three Articles of the 
Holy Christian Creed, or, as we briefly call it, the Creed. 

And this Creed is believed by the whole true Christian Church 
on earth. You, too, should believe it. Even as it says in the 
Creed: "I believe," etc. 

What does that mean: to believe? 

To believe means to know the Gospel of God in the Bible, to 
accept the same as true, and with firm confidence to trust and 
rely upon it. 

Let me explain this matter more fully. 

The real and true meaning of "believing" is, that a man with 
firm confidence trust and rely upon the Gospel of God. 

But how can a man do that, except he first hear and know 
the Gospel? The Bible says: "How shall they believe in Him 
of whom they have not heard?" Eom. 10, 14. If .a man is firmly 
and confidently to trust and rely upon the Gospel of God, he must 
first hear and know the Gospel, must have a knowledge of it. 
That is a matter of course. And thus you understand that the 
knowledge of the Gospel is the first part, and the necessary foun- 
dation, of true believing. 

But even though a man have heard and know the Gospel of 
God and thus have the necessary knowledge, yet he cannot trust 
and rely upon the Gospel — if he does not accept the same as true. 
Many people know the Gospel, but they do not accept it as true. 
Can they, with firm confidence, trust and rely upon it? They 
certainly cannot. So the second part of faith is this, that a man 
accept the Gospel as true, that he give it assent. This assent is 
the second part, and the further necessary foundation, of faith. 
The Bible speaks of this when it says : "He that believeth not the 
Son" (he that does not accept the word of the Son of God as God's 
Word and, therefore, as truth) "shall not see life," John 3, 36. 

However, with all knowledge and all assent, a man does not 
really believe, if he does not with firm confidence trust and rely 
upon God's Gospel. What good can it do me to know the Gospel 



148 

and also to accept it as the truth, if I do not confide in it, if I do 
not firmly trust and rely upon it? The devils also know the 
Gospel and accept it as true ; but they cannot trust and rely upon 
it, they cannot place any confidence in it; so what good does it 
do them? If you know the Gospel of God and accept it as true, 
then proceed and avail yourself of it, trust in it, rely upon it, 
place confidence in it, depend upon it — } T ea, avail yourself of it, 
place your trust and confidence in it in life and death, stake 
your hopes upon it — do this : and you will live forever, and you 
will joyfully perceive and behold and see that such confidence is 
well founded, that it is not false and delusive. Thus confidence 
is the third part of faith, but it is the chief and all-important part, 
without which faith is not faith at all. Hence the Bible, to show 
what faith is, has the Apostle say : "I know whom I have believed, 
and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have com- 
mitted unto Him against that day," 2 Tim. 1, 12. And Job is 
made to say in the Bible : "I know that my Eedeemer liveth, and 
that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though 
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, 
and not another," Job 19, 25 — 27. 

He spake to me: "Hold fast by me, 
I am thy Rock and Castle; 
I wholly give myself for thee, 
For thee I strive and wrestle; 
For I am thine, and thou art mine, 
Henceforth my place is also thine; 
The Foe shall never part us." 



CHAPTER XL 

The First Article of the Holy Christian Greed. 

The First Article of the holy Christian Creed reads thus: 

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven 
and earth." 

And the explanation which Dr. Martin Luther has given in 
his Small Catechism reads thus: 

"I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He 
has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, 
my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; also cloth- 



149 

ing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and chil- 
dren, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily 
provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; 
that He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects 
me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine good- 
ness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all 
which it is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. 
This is most certainly true." 

As you see, the First Article of the holy Christian Creed 
treats of God the Father, the First Person in the Holy Trinity, 
and of the Creation, which work is ascribed to God the Father, 
although God the Son and God the Holy Ghost created the world 
no less than did the Father. 

Of the Holy Trinity and the Persons therein, and of the 
Creation, I have spoken in earlier chapters (ch. 7 and 3 of Part 
One). In the present chapter I merely wish to show how you 
should apply this doctrine to yourself and, by faith, take com- 
fort in it. 

The First Article puts into your mouth the words : "I believe 
in God the Father." 

Which is the true and proper sense in which you should speak 
these words? 

God, that is, the First Person in the Holy Trinity, is here 
called "Father," because He is the eternal Father of the eternal 
Son, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But by this our very 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us poor, fallen 
sinners and reconciled us unto Him, He is, and desires to be, also 
our true Father. And we are to be His dear children. And so 
you are to say : "I believe in God the Father," that is : I believe, 
and rely upon it, that the eternal Father of my dear Lord and 
Savior Jesus Christ is, through Him, also my Father, my dear 
Father. — With the words : "I believe in God the Father," you 
draw nigh unto the great and glorious God, yea, with these words, 
if you understand and speak them aright, you cast yourself into 
His outstretched arms and say: u O my God, I, that am a poor, 
lost, and condemned sinner, am now infinitely happy. Thou hast 
sent Thy dear Son, and He has, by His suffering and death, recon- 
ciled me unto Thee. Thou hast sent Thy Holy Spirit in the Word, 
and He has called me unto Thee, that I should be Thy child. 
Thou dost stretch out Thine arms unto me and wouldst clasp me 



150 

to Thy paternal bosom. And lo ! now I am here and I place my 
confidence in Thee, that Thou, great God, art my Father. I trust 
and rely upon Thee, I commit myself unto Thee in life and death, 
in time and eternity. Yes, I believe in Thee, my God and 
Father !" 

Thus you have an excellent Father, even the Almighty, the 
Maker of heaven and earth. What good thing, then, can you lack ? 

And in such faith, in such confidence, you regard your whole 
life as in His hand. 

You say : "I believe that God has made me and all creatures, 
that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my 
members, my reason and all my senses." For though you were 
born of father and mother, yea, though by reason of sin, in which 
you were conceived and born, you are subject to weaknesses and 
frailties, still it was God's creative hand that made you and gave 
you everything you have in body and soul. Hence David, the King 
and Prophet, says by the Holy Ghost: "I will praise Thee; for 
I am fearfully- and wonderfully made : marvelous are Thy works ; 
and that my soul knoweth right well," Ps. 139, 14. 

You say: "I believe that God has made me and all crea- 
tures . . . and still preserves them." For though it would seem 
as if you were caught in the wheelwork of nature's laws and the 
course of the world, and would in the end be crushed, yet God 
regards you with paternal care and preserves you — preserves you 
until death, and even in the very midst of death. The Bible says : 
"He is not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and 
move, and have our being," Acts 17, 27. And: "He upholdeth 
all things by the word of His power," Hebr. 1, 3. 

Now, for your bodily preservation in this world God gives you 
"clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and 
children, fields, cattle, and all your goods" — according as you have 
need. He "richly and daily provides you with all that you need to 
support this body and life." For though it seems as if you were 
thrust upon yourself and must fight your own way in the struggle 
for an existence, yet you must know that you can do nothing with- 
out God ; and, childlike, you must know and believe that God, your 
Father, is willing to give and actually gives you all that you need. 
Hence the Bible says : "The eyes of all wait upon Thee ; and Thou 
givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, 
and satisfiest the desire of every living thing," Ps. 145, 16. And it 



151 

exhorts us : "Cast all your care upon Him ; for He careth for you," 
1 Pet. 5, 7. 

You say: "I believe that God . . . defends me against all 
danger, guards and protects me from all evil." For even though 
you think that much danger has really befallen you and that you 
have actually met with, and suffered, much evil and misfortune 
and need and heartache and misery, and have been filled with sor- 
row and sighing, yet you are to believe and be certain that God 
has a Father's hand in all these things and that He has wrapped 
all these things up, so to speak, in His grace and thus makes them 
work together for your temporal and eternal good. The Lord 
Jesus says : "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and not 
one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father. But 
the very hairs of your head are all numbered," Matt. 10, 29. 30. 
The Holy Ghost has His Apostle say: "We know that all things 
work together for good to them that love God," Bom. 8, 28. 

I would like to tell you right here, in just a few words, 
a Bible story — the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of 
Isaac, the son of Abraham, which story you may read in full in 
the Book of Genesis, ch. 37 — 47. — I have requested you once be- 
fore to read these chapters. 

Joseph's brethren envied and hated Joseph. And what did 
they finally do ? They sold him to slave-traders. The slave-traders 
carried him away from his home into Egypt and sold him to an 
officer of the king's, called Potiphar. Here Joseph fared well, 
considering the circumstances. But not for any great length of 
time. For Potiphar's wicked wife slandered him and he was cast 
into prison. Also in prison Joseph fared well, considering the 
circumstances. There he met two of the king's officers, who were 
likewise in prison. To one of these, who was soon to be released 
from captivity, he told his woeful tale and begged the man to 
make mention of him to the king, that he, too, might be released. 
This the officer promised to do. But on regaining his liberty and 
happiness he forgot Joseph and left him in prison. Some time 
after that Pharaoh, the king, had dreams which God sent him. 
But no one could interpret them for him. Then the forgetful 
officer remembered Joseph and told the king about him, saying 
that he had the Spirit of God and could tell the king the divine 
interpretation of his dreams. Hereupon Joseph was fetched from 
prison, and he told the king the interpretation of his dreams — 



152 

told him that first seven years of plenty and then seven years of 
famine would come upon Egypt and the surrounding countries, 
and gave excellent counsel as to what ought to be done. For this 
he was made supreme ruler (under the king) of all the land of 
Egypt and was made glorious and happy. He was also enabled 
to save his father and his brethren and all his relatives from the 
famine. 

Do you see how all the apparent evils that Joseph met with 
were simply God's gracious guidance, and how all things worked 
together for his good? 

That Joseph was sold by his brethren was the means of bring- 
ing him to Egypt, where God had determined to make him and 
his people great. That he was slandered and cast into prison was 
the means of making him acquainted with the king's officer, or 
rather, to make the officer acquainted with him, so that later on 
he could mention him to the king. That the officer forgot him at 
first and left him in prison was the means of keeping him near 
at hand against the time when he was needed, lest he should have 
returned to his home. Thus in all the rough and stony paths 
that Joseph trod he was merely enjoying God's gracious guidance. 
With unerring hand God was leading him toward the goal to 
which He had purposed to bring him. Besides, Joseph was purged 
and purified in all these trials and learned to place his confidence 
in God, which is most excellent wisdom and leads to true happi- 
ness. Hence Joseph said to his brethren later on: "Ye thought 
evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, 
as it is this -day, to save much people alive," Gen. 50, 20. And to 
you, reader, the Holy Scriptures say: "Commit thy way unto the 
Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass," Ps. 37, 5. 

Yes, dear reader, God, even your Father, controls also that 
which is evil and wicked, and makes all things work together for 
your good. Believe that firmly, be quiet, and trust in Him when 
the days are evil. Eeal evils there are none for children of God. 
To every child of God the Bible says : "There shall no evil befall 
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling," Ps. 91, 10. 
God graciously leads you aright toward a goodly goal. And while 
you will probably never become a prince in the land of Egypt, 
as Joseph did, what of that? In heaven you shall reign and shine 
forever. Try to bear that in mind. — 



153 

You say: "And all this purely out of fatherly divine good- 
ness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me." No, 
indeed, you sinful creature, you are not worthy of the things that 
God does to you; you have not deserved any of these mercies. 
You must ever say with Jacob : "I am not worthy of the least of 
all the mercies, and of all the truth which Thou hast showed unto 
Thy servant," Gen. 32, 10. 

And now speak from your heart and say: "For all this it 
is my duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him. This is 
most certainly true." 

Since, then, neither change nor coldness 

In my Father's love can be, 

Lo! I lift my hands with boldness, 

As Thy child I come to Thee. 

Grant me grace, God, I pray Thee, 

That I may with all my might, 

All my life-time, day and night, 

Love and trust Thee, and obey Thee; 

And when this brief life is o'er, 

Praise and love Thee evermore. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Of the Person of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Now I will tell you of Him who redeemed us from sin, death, 
and damnation, reconciled us unto God, and made us God's dear 
children: of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Him you must know aright, in Him you must believe aright. 
If you do not know Him aright, if you do not believe in Him 
aright, you cannot come to God. For He says: "I am the Way, 
the Truth, and the Life : no man cometh unto the Father but by 
me/' John 14, 6. 

Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I have already told you 
many things. I have told you different things which the Bible 
relates about Him. But now I would tell you briefly and clearly 
and in due order what the Bible teaches about Him — I would 
acquaint you with the doctrine of the Bible concerning Jesus 
Christ, that, having heard all these stories about Him, you may 
know and see clearly what you are to think and believe about Him. 

The Lord Jesus Christ and the Redemption are treated of in 
the Second Article of the holy Christian Creed. And this 
Second Article reads thus : 



154 

"And (I believe) in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; 
He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the 
dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of 
God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge 
the quick and the dead." 

And the explanation of this article which Dr. Martin Luther 
has given us in his Small Catechism reads thus: 

"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father 
from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my 
Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, pur- 
chased and won me from all sins, from death and from the power 
of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious 
blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be 
His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in 
everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, . even as He 
is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is 
most certainly true." 

Let me tell you what the names of this our Lord signify. 

Jesus means Savior, Redeemer. 

Christ — Hebrew : Messiah — means the Anointed. 

Jesus Christ, therefore, means: The Anointed Savior. And 
since among the people of God in the Old Testament the kings 
and high priests were anointed when they were inducted into their 
office, the true meaning of the names Jesus Christ is this: The 
Savior whom God has installed and ordained. 

So much at present on the names of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now let me speak to you of His person, who He is. 

Who is our Lord Jesus Christ? 

To this question the Second Article of our holy Christian 
Creed replies in these words : "And (I believe) in Jesus Christ, His" 
(God the Father's) "only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by 
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." And the explanation 
given by Dr. Luther says thus : "I believe that Jesus Christ, true 
God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, 
born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord." 

In short, it says here that our Lord Jesus Christ is God 

AND MAN. 

And the Bible tells us the same thing, as I shall now show you. 



155 

In the first place, the Bible says that Jesus Christ is God. 
For it says that Jesus Christ is God the. Father s only, or only- 
begotten, Son, therefore the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, 
therefore God. 

Ps. 2, 7 the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, prophe- 
sying by the mouth of David, says thus: "I will declare the 
decree : the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day" 
(from eternity) "have I begotten Thee." And accordingly we 
read Hebr. 1, 5: "Unto which of the angels said He (God) at 
any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee?" 
And Christ Himself says: "God so loved the world that He gave 
His only-begotten Son' (here Christ means Himself), "that who- 
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life," John 3, 16. And the Holy Ghost says by the Apostle : "God 
. . . spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all," 
Eom. 8, 32. 

The Bible also says plainly and directly that Jesus Christ 
is God the Lord. 

1 John 5, 20 it says of Jesus Christ : "This is the true God." 
And Eom. 9, 5 : "Christ . . . who is over all, God blessed forever. 
Amen." And the Prophet Jeremiah prophesies of Jesus that He 
should come, and says : "This shall be His name whereby He shall 
be called, THE LOED (Jehovah) OTJE EIGHTEOUSKESS," 
Jer. 23, 6. And the Apostle Thomas fell down before the risen 
Christ and said to Him: "My Lord and my God," John 20, 28. 

And the Bible says that the Lord Jesus Christ has divine 
attributes, does divine works, receives divine honor; and also in 
this wise it plainly indicates that He is God. 

The Apostle St. John calls the Lord Jesus Christ by this 
name: "The Word," and then he writes thus: "In the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were 
made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that 
was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 
And the light shineth in darkness ; and the darkness comprehended 
it not. — And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and 
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the 
Father), full of grace and truth," John 1, 1 — 5. 14. Here it is 
said of the Word that it already was in the beginning, hence that 
it is eternal; that it was with God and that it was God, hence 



156 

that it is a person distinct from the Father; that all things were 
made by it, hence that it is the Creator of all things; that it was 
made flesh, that is, man, and that the disciples beheld its glory, 
the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father. — What clear 
and sublime testimony that our Lord Jesus Christ is true God ! 

Let me show you another passage which testifies that Jesus 
Christ is God's Son, and God, and higher than the angels and 
all creatures. 

In the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews it says: 
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
past unto the fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days 
spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all 
things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the bright- 
ness of His glory and the express image of His person, and up- 
holding all things by the word of His power, when He had by 
Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of God" 
(the "Son/' then, clearly is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) ; 
"being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by in- 
heritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto 
which of the angels said He (God the Father) at any time, Thou 
art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee? And again, I will 
be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son? And again, 
when He bringeth in the First-Begotten into the world, He saith, 
And let all the angels of God worship Him. And of the angels 
He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a 
flame of fire. But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, God, 
is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of 
Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; 
therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil 
of gladness above Thy fellows. And" (furthermore God says in 
the Scriptures to Christ), "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast 
laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works 
of Thine hands. They shall perish, but Thou remainest: and 
they all shall wax old as cloth a garment; and as a vesture shalt 
Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art 
the same, and Thy years shall not fail." — Behold how Christ is 
magnified as God ! 

Yea, "all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the 
Father/' John 5, 23. And the Son is our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ. 



157 

He is God, true God. 

But He is also man, true man. This, too, is said in the Bible. 
"The Word tuas made flesh/' man, says the Holy Ghost John 1, 14. 
"When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, 
made of a woman" Gal. 4, 4. So, then, "there is one God and one 
Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus/' 1 Tim. 2, 5. 

Nineteen hundred years ago God the Son was made man. 
And that He was made a real, true man you saw clearly — did 
you not ? — from the Bible stories that I told you about Him. 
He had a human body. He had a human soul. He still has a 
human body and a human soul. In the garden of Gethsemane 
He said to His disciples: "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even 
unto death," Matt. 26, 38. When He was risen from the dead 
and appeared to His disciples, He said: "Behold my hands and 
my feet, that it is I myself ; handle me and see ; for a spirit hath 
not flesh and bones, as ye see me have," Luke 24, 39. Thus He 
was also received up before their eyes into heaven and sat on the 
right hand of God. 

Thus our Lord Jesus Christ has — mark this well ! — two 
natures : the divine nature and the human nature. 

But He is only one person. There is but one Lord Jesus 
Christ; He is God and man in one person. God the Son has 
received the human nature into His person. 

A great deal might be said on this subject. But, however 
much one may say — our poor reason will never comprehend and 
fathom this matter, which calls for faith, faith in the Word of God. 

For what purpose did God the Son put on the human nature ? 

To redeem and save us sinful, lost, and condemned people. 

Did He have to be true man to do that? 

Yes, for He was sent, and He came, to fulfill the Law and 
to suffer and die as the substitute of all mankind. This He evi- 
dently could not have done, had He not been made true man. 

Since, however, a mere man could not be the substitute of all 
men and could not bear the sins of the human race and the wrath 
of God and the curse of the Law, neither could satisfy the infinite 
justice of God, neither could conquer death and Satan, and hell — 
for this reason the eternal Son of God, the true God, was chosen, 
and Himself chose, to become man and our Eedeemer. And He 
did become man and our Eedeemer. The Bible sa} r s : "None of 
them" (no mere man) "can by any means redeem his brother, nor 



158 

give to God a ransom for him (for the redemption of their soul is 
precious, and it ceaseth forever)," Ps. 49, 7. 8. "But when the 
fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of 
a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under 
the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons," Gal. 4, 4. 5. 
Behold how exceeding great are the mercies of God, and how 
exceeding great is your dear Savior Jesus Christ, who so graciously 

redeemed you ! 

He lays aside His power divine, 
A servant's 'form doth take, 
In want and lowness He doth pine 
Who heaven and earth did make. 

He nestles at His mother's breast, 
Her milk His food must be, 
Whom saints and angels call the Blest, 
For David's Root is He. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Of the Office of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

The office of the Lord Jesus, that whereunto God sent and 
anointed and ordained and installed Him, is that He should 

SAVE US SINNERS. 

The Lord Jesus Himself says: "God sent not His Son into 
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him 
might be saved," John 3, 17. And again: "The Son of Man is 
come to save that which was lost," Matt. 18, 11. 

To make this supremely important matter thoroughly plain 
it is customary to divide the office of Jesus Christ into three parts 
and to say that He, in order to save us, took upon Him a threefold 
office: the office of a prophet, priest, and king. 

1. The Prophetic Office of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Prophet means preacher. The Lord Jesus is our Prophet, 
our Preacher. The prophet Moses prophesied of Him and said 
to the people of Israel: "The Lord, thy God, will raise up unto 
thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto 
me; unto Him ye shall hearken," Deut. 18, 15. Accordingly, when 
the Lord Jesus was come and made man, the Father in heaven 
testified of Him, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 



159 

well pleased; hear ye Him," Matt. 17, 5. So the Lord Jesus is 
our Prophet, our Preacher, whom we are to hear. 

What does He preach unto us? 

The Lord Jesus preaches unto us that which no man could 
know, nor even guess, by nature : He preaches unto us the Gospel, 
the glad tidings that God, through Him, would save us. Hence 
the Bible says : "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man 
hath seen G-od at any time ; the only-begotten Son, which is in the 
bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him," John 1, 17. 18. The 
Lord Jesus preaches Himself, that He is the Son of God and the 
Savior of the world. 

But how does the Lord Jesus preach unto us ? 

When He dwelt on earth, He preached with His own mouth 
and did great signs and wonders to confirm His preaching. He 
"was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the 
people," Luke 24, 19. 

But He preaches to us still, even now. He does it on this 
wise : His disciples, the Apostles, by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
wrote down His sayings and His deeds, and by this same inspira- 
tion of the Holy Ghost they explained and set forth His saving 
doctrine, the Gospel of Christ, and proclaimed it and wrote it 
down. And this word of the Apostles, which thus is in deed and 
truth Jesus' word, this word we have in the New Testament. Thus 
the New Testament is Jesus' sermon-book, the book wherein He 
preaches. When we read this book, Jesus invariably preaches 
unto us. And when true pastors and preachers preach this word 
of the Apostles and of Jesus, Jesus preaches by them, in reality 
we then hear Jesus. Therefore He Himself says to His disciples 
and to all true preachers : "He that heareth you heareth me ; and 
he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me 
despiseth Him that sent me," Luke 10, 16. And thus the Lord 
Jesus says of any Christian that speaks the Gospel to his neighbor. 

However, not only while He lived and dwelt on earth and 
not only now does the Lord Jesus preach the Gospel and is He 
our Prophet, He did the same, and was the same, from the be- 
ginning of the world and in the days of the Old Testament, before 
He had been made man. He, the eternal Son of the Father and 
promised Messiah, or Christ, He it was who spoke with Adam and 
Eve in Paradise, and who, when they were fallen into sin, preached 
and proclaimed the first Gospel message unto them. And whenever 



160 

God spoke with the people in the days of the Old Testament, it 
was He, God the Son, the promised Messiah and Christ, that 
spoke with them. He it was, furthermore, who by His Holy 
Spirit inspired the Prophets in the Old Testament with the Gospel 
promises and prophecies of His own future coming and redemp- 
tive work, and made them preach these things and write them 
down. Also the Old Testament is the sermon-book wherein the 
Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, preaches. Hence the Apostle, 
St. Peter, writes that "the Spirit of Christ, which was in them" 
(in the Prophets and writers of the Old Testament), . . . "testified 
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should 
follow," 1 Pet. 1, 11. 

Thus the Lord Jesus Christ is our sole Prophet and Preacher, 
and we have no other prophet and preacher, we have no prophet 
and preacher save Him alone. He preaches unto us the true way 
to salvation. 

This you must know and remember. 

If any man would preach God's Word unto you, but does not 
preach Jesus' word, and Jesus' word only, just as it is found in 
the Bible, you must not receive him and must not believe him. 
But if a man preach Jesus' word unto, you, you shall receive him 
and believe him, for in that case Jesus is preaching unto you by 
that man. Jesus, and Jesus only, is your Prophet and Preacher. 
Him shall you hear, Him shall you believe. Then you will know 
for certain how to be saved. 

Have you grasped this? 

2. The Priestly Office of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Church of God in the Old Testament, the people of 
Israel, had a great many priests. But over and above them all 
was the so-called high priest. He was the chief both of the priest- 
hood and of the nation. 

Foremost among the duties of the high priest were the fol- 
lowing three. In the first place, he, as chief bishop or overseer, 
had to see to it that the people of God walked in all the command- 
ments and statutes and judgments which God had given them 
through His servant Moses. In the second place, he had to bring 
the great annual sin-offering to make atonement for the frequent 
and manifold transgressions of the people. In the third place, 
he had to pray for the people. 



161 

But the priesthood of the Old Testament was not perfect. 
For he whose duty it was to see that the people transgressed not 
the Law, himself transgressed it. And he that offered up sacrifices 
for the sins of the people first had to offer up sacrifice for his own 
sins. And what did he offer up? A bullock and two goats and 
a ram. Now it is not possible that the blood of goats and of bulls 
should take away sins. And he that made intercession (prayer) 
for the people was in need of intercession on his own behalf. And 
then death, the wages of sin, did not suffer him, poor sinner that 
he was, to continue; and thus he was ever succeeded by a new 
high priest. For this reason the priesthood of the Old Testament 
was not perfect. 

What good would it do us, then, if we had such an Old Testa- 
ment high priest? "Such an high priest became us who is holy, 
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than 
the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer 
up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's," 
Hebr. 7, 26. 27. 

Isn't that so? 

Xow, thanks be to God, such a high priest we have. It is our 
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our true high priest. The high priests 
of the Old Testament were but shadows and figures of Him. 

Mark what our Lord Jesus Christ, as our true High Priest, 
does for us. We people ought to keep the Law of God. But we 
have not kept it, we will not keep it, we cannot keep it, because, 
since the fall of Adam, we are, by nature, wicked and born sinners. 
And thus we have incurred the curse of God and death and 
damnation. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ saw that from eternity. 

And now He is become our true High Priest. 

And what has He done for us as such? 

In the first place, He perfectly kept and fid filled the Law 
of God — but, mind you. as our Substitute, for us and in our 
stead. In accordance with His Father's will, in accordance with 
the Triune God's eternal counsel of grace. He came, was made 
man, became our Substitute, perfectly fulfilled, in our stead, the 
Law of God. And what He did shall be accounted as though we 
had done it; for He did it for us. Because He, as our Substitute, 
fulfilled all righteousness, God will now so regard and receive us 
as though we had fulfilled all righteousness. By His righteous- 
11 



162 

ness we are made righteous. Thus we are redeemed from the 
grievous Law and from its demands and from its curse. The 
Bible, the Word of God, says: "When the fullness of the time 
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under 
the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law" Gal. 4, 4. 5. 
And: "As by one man's (Adam's) disobedience many were made 
sinners, so by the obedience of One (Christ) shall many he made 
righteous" Eom. 5, 19. His, His, His obedience is our righteous- 
ness, for it was rendered for us and in our stead. 

In the seconoL place, our true High Priest, Jesus Christ, also 
orought an offering for us. And what did He offer up for us? 
Bullocks, goats, and rams ? Oh no ! He offered up Himself for us. 
According to His Father's will, according to the Triune God's 
eternal counsel of grace, He came, was made man, became our 
Substitute, bore, in our stead, the curse, the death and damnation 
ivhich we had deserved. For us He suffered, for us He died, all 
our punishment He bore. And thus He redeemed us from the 
curse, from death and damnation, for He bore all things for us. 
God punished Him for our guilt. Thus in Him we are free from 
guilt and punishment. The Bible, the Word of God, says : "Surely 
He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did 
esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was 
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: 
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes 
we are healed," Is. 53, 4. 5. And: "Behold the Lamb of God, 
ivhich taheth away the sins of the world," John 1, 29. And again : 
"Christ His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree," 
1 Pet. 2, 24. And again: "Christ hath redeemed us from the 
curse of the Law, being made a curse for us," Gal. 3, 13. 

In the third place, He performs still another priestly func- 
tion. He is also our Advocate with His heavenly Father. He 
prays for us, makes intercession for us. He refers to that which 
He did for us, and prays for us. Oh, how sorely we poor sinners 
need such intercession, such pleading on our behalf ! But God 
surely accepts Christ's pleading. The Father does not reject the 
pleading of His Son. The Bible, the Word of God, says : "He is 
at the right hand of God, He also maketh intercession for us," 
Bom. 8, 34. And : "He ever liveth to make intercession for them" 
Hebr. 7, 25. And again: "If any man sin, we have an Advocate 1 ) 



1 ) Advocate = one that pleads for us. 



163 

with the Father, Jesus Christ the Kighteous. And He is the pro- 
pitiation" (atonement) "for our sins: and not for ours only, but 
also for the sins of the whole world/' 1 John 2, 1. 2. 

Thus our Lord Jesus Christ is our sole and true High Priest. 

And now hearken ! What Christ, your High Priest, has done 
for you, that you may and should trust in, rely upon. You may 
and should trust and rely upon it, that God out of pure grace, 
for Jesus Christ your High Priest's sake, so regards and so receives 
you, as though you had, yourself, perfectly fulfilled the Law of 
God, and as though you had, yourself, perfectly expiated 2 ) all 
your sin. For what Christ has done for you, that, of course, is 
yours. And you may and should trust and rely upon it, that your 
High Priest Jesus Christ ever makes intercession for you, poor 
sinner, with His heavenly Father by reason of His all-sufficient 
merit and bloody sacrifice which He rendered for you. 

you blessed creature, take advantage of this ! 

3. The Kingly Office of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is also our King. The Bible says this 
often, everywhere. I will direct your attention to but two places. 
When the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she 
was to be the mother of Christ, he also spoke these words : "And 
He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His king- 
dom there shall be no end/' Luke 1, 33. And when the Jews 
accused the Lord Jesus falsely in Pontius Pilate's court, saying 
that He had made Himself king in opposition to Caesar, Jesus said : 
"My kingdom is not of this world." And when Pilate, marveling 
at these words, asked Him : "Art Thou a King then ?" He replied : 
"Thou sayest that I am a King," John 18, 36. 37. 

To be sure, the Lord Jesus is a King. He is King of kings. 
He is the true Cod and therefore has all power in heaven and on 
earth. And also as the Son of man He has all power in heaven and 
on earth. It was given Him. He Himself says: "All power is 
given to me in heaven and in earth," Matt. 28, 18. And the Bible 
says : "God set Him (Jesus) at His own right hand in the heavenly 
places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and do- 
minion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but 



2) Expiated = atoned for by suffering the punishment thereof. 



164 

also in that which is to come/' Eph. 1, 20. 21. Even hell is within 
His kingdom ; it is the prison of His kingdom. — This is called 
Christ's Kingdom of Power. With power He rules over all 
creatures. 

But this is not the kingdom we have in mind when we say that 
Jesus is our King. He is our King, most specially ours who are 
His own, who believe in Him and by faith call Him our Lord and 
Savior. Over us He rules, and He protects us right graciously with 
His infinite power, and will finally lead us into the glory of eternal 
life in heaven. 

Christ is King of Zion. Zion is the congregation, the com- 
munion, the association, the whole number of those people who 
believe in Him, who in truth and from their hearts regard Him as 
their Savior, and love and honor Him. This His Zion He knows, 
for He searches the hearts. And this His Zion He governs by His 
Word and His Holy Spirit. And this His Zion He preserves by 
His Word and His Holy Spirit. And this His Zion He increases by 
His Word and His Holy Spirit. In this His Zion He rules by grace. 
Here He richly and daily forgives all sins. Here He leads them 
that are His as a faithful mother does her little child. He leads 
them in the paths of life and light. He shields His Zion from 
every foe, from every disaster. His Zion is safe beneath His scepter. 

how gracious He is toward His Zion ! And in granting His grace 
unto Zion, He mixes His grace with His infinite power. The King 
of the Kingdom of Power is also King of the Kingdom of Grace. 
What I have just sketched with such few strokes of the pen, what 

1 have said of Zion, that is Jesus Christ's Kingdom of Grace. Of 
this Kingdom of Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the Holy Scriptures 
speak in innumerable places, both in the Old and New Testament. 
I will quote but one: "Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy 
King cometh unto thee, meek," Matt. 21, 5; Zech. 9, 9. 

And this His Zion He will finally lead to the glory of heaven. 
St. Paul the Apostle says : "The Lord shall deliver me from every 
evil work, and preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom," 2 Tim. 
4, 18. There in eternal joy and bliss, Zion, delivered from all be- 
setting sin, freed from every torturing evil, exempt from all re- 
proach, shall shine forevermore with the light that proceeds from 
the face of the King, Jesus Christ ; and that is Christ's Kingdom 
of Glory. 

Thus Jesus Christ is our King. 



165 

man, seeing thy king, that great King, who is also thy 
Prophet and Priest, seeing He comes to thee so meek, so friendly, 
so gracious, and would save thee, make thee infinitely happy, oh, 
cast thyself down at His feet, and be His, His, His own in life and 
death, in time and eternity. 

Son of God and Mary's Son, 
Prophet, Priest, King, richly gifted, 
Mediator, Mercy-throne, 
On the tree for me uplifted: 
Grant that I "My Jesus" Thee 
Call in faith and lovingly. 

Thou, my sweetest Jesus, wast 

Born and dead for my salvation; 

For what I in Adam lost 

Thou hast wrought full reparation. 

Grant that I in verity 

Be Thine own eternally. 

Sinners' Friend, to Thee I owe 
Every bliss and all salvation; 
Through Thy death to life I go, 
Through Thy grave to heavenly station: 
God afore His judgment- throne 
Counts Thy merits as my own. 

Death and hell, O Victor blest, 
Thou hast vanquished and subdued; 
Hast with peace and sweetest rest 
Now my death and grave imbued: 
When I rise, Thy victory 
Crowns me in eternity. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Of the State of Humiliation of Our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ. 

When we behold our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as de- 
scribed to us in the Bible, we see Him in two different states: in 
a State of Humiliation and in a State of Exaltation. 

I shall now show you the State of Humiliation of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, you remember, is true God, begotten 
of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin 



166 

Mary. Now you might think that this was the State of Humilia- 
tion of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was made man. But that 
is not so. Not one particle of His divine nature, not one particle 
of His divine attributes, not one particle of His divine majesty 
and glory, did our Lord Jesus Christ lose, lay aside, give up, in 
becoming man; that was no humiliation. He received the human 
nature into His divine person. And instead of losing thereby any 
of His divine glory, He rather communicated to His human nature 
all the glory of God. His human nature partakes of the glory of 
His divine nature. 

Well, what is the State of Humiliation of our Lord Jesus 
Christ? It is this, that our Lord Jesus Christ, as regards His 
human nature and His conversation in such nature, did not always 
nor fully use the divine glory which was communicated to such 
human nature and which this nature therefore had and possessed. 

Is that, too, hard to understand? Shall I repeat it in sim- 
pler words? 

Then listen ! 

When the eternal Son of God the Father was made man, He 
filled His human nature with divine majesty and glory: with 
divine omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and all manner of 
divine attributes. Also His human nature was now omnipresent, 
almighty, all-knowing, and had all manner of divine attributes 
and glory. But as regards His human nature and His walk in 
such nature, our Lord Jesus Christ did not always nor fully use 
and manifest the divine glory which He had communicated to His 
human nature, but, as a rule, lived and walked as other men do. 

Do you now understand what is meant? 

The Bible says : "Christ Jesus . . . being in the form of God" 
(having and possessing in His human nature all the glory of 
God), "thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (regarded 
not His divine glory as a thing to be displayed by constant using, 
as a conqueror boastingly displays His robbery, or spoils) : "but 
made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a 
servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found 
in fashion as a man" (an ordinary man), "He humbled Himself, 
and became obedient" (to the will of God) "unto death, even the 
death of the cross," Phil. 2, 5—8. 

That is the State of Humiliation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

This State of Humiliation lasted throughout the time that 



167 

He dwelt on earth and is described in the Second Article with 
these words: "Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin 
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and 
buried." 

If you think of the Bible stories that I told you, you can 
easily see how our Lord Jesus Christ was, during the time desig- 
nated, in a state of humiliation. 

Having been conceived through the wonderful working of the 
Holy Ghost, He was born of the Virgin Mary, was handled, nour- 
ished, and nursed the same as any other child. He grew, increased, 
learned to walk, learned to talk and understand, learned to read 
and write, increased in stature and wisdom, like an ordinary child. 
He ate and drank, He waked and slept, hungered and thirsted, 
grew weary and faint, was refreshed and strengthened, was sad- 
dened and cheered, like an ordinary person. He was poor and 
lowly, more so than other men. He said Himself: "The foxes 
have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man 
hath not where to lay His head," Matt. 8, 20. He was tempted 
like as we, yet without sin. No, indeed, sin there was none in His 
human nature. He was perfectly holy. He knew no sin. And, 
as I have said, He had and possessed in His human nature all 
the majesty of God. But from His conception and birth down to 
His death and burial He kept it hidden for the most part and did 
not use it, at least not fully and constantly. 

At times, however, yea, oftentimes, it was as when the dark- 
clouds that veil the heavens are rent asunder and the bright and 
golden rays of the sun burst gloriously forth : at times, even often- 
times, the Lord Jesus Christ emitted from out of His humiliation 
rays of His majesty and glory, namely, when He did miracles, 
and when He was transfigured before His disciples, and when He 
spoke and acted as only Almighty God can and dare speak and act. 
Such manifestations of His divine majesty and glory from out His 
humiliation the Apostle St. John has in mind when he writes: 
"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth," John 1, 14. But invariably these rays of 
glory would withdraw behind the cloud of voluntarily assumed 
humility. 

In the greatest depths of His humiliation you see the Lord 
Jesus Christ in the story of His suffering and death. Unspeakable 



168 

tortures He suffered in body and soul. Keproach and mockery 
He endured. On the accursed tree, on the cross, He died. The 
door of the sepulcher closed upon His lifeless body. 

And why did Christ humble Himself so completely? 

To redeem us lost and condemned people, to redeem us by 
becoming, as you know from the Priestly Office of Christ, the 
Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. Could He 
have heen that and could He have done that, if, according to His 
human nature, He had fully and constantly used His divine 
majesty? No. To be that and do that, He must needs humble 
Himself. 

And now I will ask you a number of questions touching 
Christ's work of redemption. And I will let Dr. Luther's Small 
Catechism and the Bible furnish you with the answers to these 
questions. See to it that these answers sink down into your heart 
and again proceed out of your heart. 

Wherefrom did Christ redeem you and purchase and win you? 

"From all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil." 

Yes, Christ redeemed you from all sins, for He took all your 
sins upon Himself. As it is written : "The Lord hath laid on Him 
the iniquity of us all," Is. 53, 6. Therefore you sinners are freed 
from the guilt of sin: your sin is no longer imputed to you, no 
longer laid to your charge. And you are now free from the 
punishment of sin: the curse which you merited by your sin is 
no longer upon you. And you are now free from the dominion 
of sin: your sins cannot distress and enslave you, you can cheer- 
fully mock and resist them. 

And thus Christ also redeemed you from death. For death 
is the wages, the penalty, of sin; and from sin Christ has made 
you free, as I just told you. Temporal death you need no longer 
fear; you need no longer be afraid to die, because eternal death, 
hell and damnation no longer have any power over you. Through 
temporal death you now enter into eternal life. As it is written: 
"Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immor- 
tality to light," 2 Tim. 1, 10. 

And thus Christ furthermore redeeme'd you from the power 
of the Devil. The Devil no longer has any power over you, no 
longer has any right to you. He can no longer accuse you, he is 
cast down. And his temptations you can victoriously withstand. 
Christ bruised the Devil's head, as was promised in the first Gos- 



169 

pel message. And it is written : "For this purpose the Son of 
God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the 
Devil," 1 John 3, 8. 

Now say: "0 blessed man that I am!" 

Wherewith did Christ redeem you and purchase and win 
you from all sins, from death, and from the power of the Devil? 

"Not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood 
and with His innocent suffering and death." 

Nay, with gold or silver yon could not be redeemed. Gold 
and silver may serve to redeem slaves and pay penalties among 
men, but it would not serve to redeem you from all sins, from 
death, and from the power of the Devil. The ransom with which 
you are redeemed from all sins, from death, and from the power 
of the Devil, this ransom is Christ the Lord's holy, precious blood 
and His innocent suffering and death. For hereby He, as your 
Substitute, rendered satisfaction for you and paid the penalty of 
your guilt and your sins. The Bible says : "Ye know that ye 
were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, 
from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your 
fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a Lamb without 
blemish and without spot," 1 Pet. 1, 18. 19. And: "The blood 
of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin," 1 John 1, 7. 

Now say : "0 Thou friendliest Lord Jesus !" 

And for what purpose did Christ redeem you and purchase 
and win you from all sins, from death, and from the power of 
the Devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious 
blood and with His innocent suffering and death? 

"That I may be His own." 

Yes, Christ bought you with a price and redeemed you from 
most dreadful slavery. He is now your Lord, and you are His own. 
Eejoice exceedingly ! For He is a good Lord, and blessed are 
they that are His. — I shall say more about this matter in the 
next chapter. 

Whom did Christ redeem, purchase, and win from all sins, 
from death, and from the power of the Devil, not with gold or 
silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent 
suffering and death? And whom did Christ thus make His own? 

In considering this question, you must be personally conscious 
of all that you have, hitherto heard and learned, apply all to your- 
self, and, in deepest humility, but also in jubilant faith, lay your 



— 170 

hand on your heart and answer thus : "Me, a lost and condemned 
creature." 

Yes, yon, you, you lost and condemned sinner did Christ 
redeem; you, you, you are His own. Thus you must firmly be- 
lieve. Thus the Apostle St. Paul applies all to himself, appro- 
priates all to himself, and says, speaking of Christ: "Who loved 
me and gave Himself for me" Gal. 2, 20. 

Do you ask how you may know with such certainty that Christ 
has redeemed even you, and that you are His own? 

You may know it by this : Because the Word of God says 
that Christ redeemed all lost and condemned creatures. If He 
redeemed all creatures, He surely redeemed you — did He not ? 

Behold and see how the Word of God says that Christ re- 
deemed all men. It says : "The Son of Man is come to save that 
which was lost" Matt. 18, 11. And: "Behold the Lamb of God, 
which taketh away the sin of the world" John 1, 29. And again: 
"He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, out 
also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2, 2. Yea, of the 
very wickedest of wicked men, of those who lead others astray, it 
says: "They deny the Lord that o ought them, and bring upon 
themselves swift destruction/' 2 Pet. 2, 1. So even those who 
deny Christ and, therefore, are damned, even those Christ, never- 
theless, bought, redeemed. 

He redeemed all men. Consequently He redeemed also you. 
Only do not deny this truth ! Do not cast it away ! Believe it ! 
Accept it ! Eejoice in it ! Hold it fast ! Gladly be His own ! Thus 
you shall be saved. 

So much about the State of Humiliation of our Lord Jesus 

Christ. 

Let us all with gladsome voice 
Praise the God of heaven, 
Who, to bid our hearts rejoice, 
His own Son hath given. 

To this vale of tears He comes, 
Here to serve in sadness, 
That with Him in heaven's fair homes 
We may reign in gladness. 

We are rich, for He was poor; 
Is not this a wonder? 
Therefore praise God evermore, 
Here on earth and yonder! 



171 



CHAPTER XV. 

Of the State of Exaltation of Our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ. 

Now, what is the State of Exaltation of our Lord and Savior 
Jesus Christ? 

By the State of Exaltation we mean this, that onr Lord and 
Savior Jesns Christ, according to His human nature, fully and 
constantly uses the divine majesty communicated to His human 
nature. 

Let me explain this a little. 

The divine omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and all 
divine attributes, in a word, the divine majesty and glory, with 
which the Lord Jesus, when He was made man, had filled His 
human nature — this divine majesty and glory of His human 
nature He no longer keeps hidden and concealed, He no longer ab- 
stains from using, as He did in the State of Humiliation. No, He 
now uses and manifests fully and continually the divine majesty 
and glory of His human nature. When the Lord Jesus emerged 
from the State of Humiliation and entered upon the State of Exal- 
tation, His human nature lived, and moved and beamed and shone 
fully and continually in all divine majesty and glory. He now no 
longer subjected Himself, with respect to His human nature and 
His walk and His appearing in such nature, to the laws that are 
binding upon us poor creatures. He now, to mention but one ex- 
ample, suffered His human nature to use the divine omnipresence 
communicated unto it; He no longer went from place to place, He 
no longer opened the door when about to enter a house or a room; 
but He appeared or vanished in whatsoever manner or place He 
chose. Think of the Bible story I told you, how on the day of His 
resurrection from the dead, having gone in to tarry with two of His 
disciples at Emmaus, He vanished out of their sight and soon after- 
ward suddenly came and stood in the midst of His disciples who 
were assembled in Jerusalem, the doors being shut for fear of the 
Jews. And thus He used thenceforth, and thus He still uses, fully 
and continually, according to His human nature, all the divine 
majesty communicated to it. The angels of heaven witness this. 
And we shall witness it when we will be in heaven, and all men will 
witness it on Judgment Lay. 



172 

Of the State of Exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ Holy 
Scripture speaks and says : "Wherefore" (because, in obedience to 
the will of God, in order to redeem us, He had humbled Himself 
unto death) "God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a 
name which is above every name : that at the name of Jesus every 
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and 
things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that 
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Phil. 2, 9 — 11. 

The State of Exaltation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 
began when He was quickened in the grave. And the Second 
Article of the Christian Creed describes this state in the following 
terms : "He descended into hell ; the third day He rose again from 
the dead ; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of 
God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge 
the quick and the dead." 

These several points we shall consider severally, one by one. 

1. "He Descended into Hell." 

When our Lord Jesus Christ was quickened in the grave on 
Sunday morning, He first descended into hell. 

Hell is the prison and place of torment, where the damned are 
kept, both men and angels. 

Into this place, I say, our Lord Jesus Christ descended on 
Sunday morning when He was quickened in the grave. 

Thither He went as "He that liveth," no longer in humility, 
but in divine majesty and glory. 

And what did He do there ? He showed Himself to hell as its 
conqueror; He showed Himself as the promised Woman's Seed 
who now had bruised the serpent's head. He heralded His victory 
and triumphed over all His hellish foes. 

Hereof Holy Scripture speaks in the following words : "Christ 
was put to death in the flesh" (in the humiliation of His human 
nature), "but quickened by (or in) the Spirit" (in the glory of His 
divine nature) : "by which" (divine glory) "also He went and 
preached unto the spirits in prison," 1 Pet. 3, 18. 19. And: "He 
spoiled principalities and powers" (of hell), "He made a show of 
them openly, triumphing over them in it," Col. 2, 15. 

Eejoice that your Savior thus descended into hell. The Devil 
knows Him now and trembles. Hell now no longer has any power 



173 

over you if you hold on to Christ. And what can the unbelieving, 
Christ-hating, wicked, boasting, threatening world do to you? 
You perceive that she, too, lies at Christ your Savior's feet. 

Hell and its prince, the Devil, 
Now of their power are shorn, 
I now am safe from evil, 
And sin I laugh to scorn; 
Grim Death with all his might 
Cannot my soul affright; 
He is a powerless form, 
Howe'er he rage and storm. 

The world against me rageth, 
Its fury I disdain; 
Though bitter war it wageth, 
Its work is all in vain. 
No trouble troubles me, 
My heart from care is free, 
Misfortune now is play, 
And night as bright as day. 

2. The Third Day He Eose Again from the Dead. 

When Christ had been quickened on the third day after His 
death, He victoriously and with a glorified body and in all the 
glory of God issued from the grave and manifested Himself unto 
His disciples as the Living One and as the conqueror of sin, death, 
Satan, and hell. He showed and manifested Himself unto them 
as the Son of God and the true Messiah and Savior, as the true 
Atoner and Eedeemer, as the Prince and Giver of life. 

And He did that for a space of forty days by many mani- 
festations and proofs, and spoke with them of the Kingdom of 
God, the Kingdom of Grace and Glory, which He now had founded 
and set up. 

And what His disciples heard and saw during those forty days 
they have related to us in the Bible by the Holy Spirit. 

And we believe their unanimous and powerful testimony, which 
is a testimony of the Holy Ghost. We believe that Jesus Christ 
on the third day rose again from the dead. 

And this is a great comfort to us. Yea, this is the crown of 
all our comfort and the evidence of all our faith. What? That 
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. 

For: 

If Christ were not risen from the dead, if He had been swal- 
lowed up and held by death — then He would not be the Son of 



174 

God, not the true Messiah and Savior; then He would not be the 
true Atoner and Redeemer; then He would not be the Prince 
of life and He that gives to us eternal life. The Bible says: "If 
Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished/' 
1 Cor. 15, 17. 18. 

"But now is Christ risen from the dead/' says the Bible, 
1 Cor. 15, 20. 

And this resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, 
proves clearly and beyond dispute three things. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, proves, first, that 
He is, indeed, the Son of God and the true Messiah and Savior, 
and that His doctrine is the truth. 

In the days of His flesh, that is, of His humiliation, the Lord 
Jesus had, as you know, done many signs and wonders to prove 
that He was, indeed, the Son of God and the true Messiah and 
Savior, and that His doctrine was the truth. But the foremost 
and greatest sign He had repeatedly and very emphatically prom- 
ised and foretold, viz., that on the third day He would rise again 
from the dead. When one day, for example, the Jews desired of 
Him a special sign that He was Christ, the Messiah, He said: 
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up/' "Then 
said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, 
and wilt Thou rear it up in three days? But Hi spake of the 
temple of His body. When, therefore, He was risen from the dead, 
His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and 
they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said," 
John 2, 19 — 22. Similar predictions of His resurrection you can 
find in abundance, if you read the Bible. And now tell me: If 
the Lord Jesus Christ were not indeed the Son of God and the 
true Messiah and Savior, could He then have risen from the dead 
as He had foretold? He surely could not. Hence, from the fact 
that He did rise you see clearly and unquestionably that He is 
indeed the Son of God and the true Messiah and Savior, and that 
His doctrine is the truth. Hence the Bible also says: "He was 
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit 
of holiness" (that is, according to His holy divinity which per- 
meated, saturated, so to speak, and filled His human nature), 
"by the resurrection from the dead," Bom. 1, 4. 



175 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, proves, secondly, 
that God the Father has accepted the offering of His Son for the 
reconciliation of the world. 

Christ took the sin of all the world upon Himself. And He 
offered Himself for the sin of all the world. He bore all the curse 
which all the world had heaped upon itself by its sins, and He died. 
In this manner He sought, as the Substitute of the world, to atone 
for the sins of the world, to pay the world's debt, to satisfy the 
offended justice of God, to reconcile God to the world, to bring 
about a reconciliation of the world unto God. — Did God the Father 
accept this offering of His Son for the reconciliation of the world ? 
Yes, God the Father did accept this offering of His Son for the 
reconciliation of the world. For He raised His Son up from the 
dead. That was as if God had said : "It is enough. The sins of 
the world are atoned for. The debt of the world is paid in full. 
My justice is satisfied. I am reconciled to the world. The recon- 
ciliation of the world unto me is accomplished." Mark well: In 
raising His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, from the dead, God the 
Father, solemnly and in very deed, declared and made known that 
by Christ's offering the whole world's and your sins have been 
atoned and done away, and that for the whole world and for you 
the righteousness that avails in His sight has been purchased in 
which every man can stand before Him and be saved. Hence the 
Apostle Paul says : "Christ was delivered for our offenses, and was 
raised again for our justification" (righteousness), Eom. 4, 25. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, proves, thirdly, 
that all believers shall rise unto life eternal. 

"Because I live, ye shall live also," says Christ to all His 
disciples, to all believers, John 14, 19. Sin is abolished, and with 
it death, the wages of sin. Christ lives. He has conquered death. 
His life is your life. His victory over death is your victory over 
death. For His life and resurrection is the whole world's life and 
resurrection. His victory over death is the whole world's victory 
over death. His life, His resurrection, His victory over death, 
He offers to you and the whole world. Will you have it? Oh, 
accept it ! Believe ! Believe in Jesus Christ ! Thus you will 
have it. Thus you, too, will live, rise, conquer death. You will 
live, though you were dead. In reality you will never die. For 
through death you will enter eternal life, and you will rise again 
on the last day. He says : "I am the Eesurrection and the Life : 



176 

he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 
and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never 'die/' John 
11, 25. 26. 

Yes, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, proves clearly 
and beyond dispute that He is indeed the Son of God and the true 
Messiah and Savior, and that His doctrine is the truth; that God 
the Father has accepted the offering of His Son for the recon- 
ciliation of the world; that all believers will rise unto life eternal. 
Now believe, believe in your Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from 

the dead! 

Love's redeeming work is done, 
Fought the fight, the battle won: 
Lo! our Sun's eclipse is o'er, 
Lo! He sets in blood no more. 

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; 
Christ has burst the gates of hell. 
Death in vain forbids His rise; 
Christ has opened Paradise. 



3. "He Ascended into Heaven and Sitteth at the Eight 
Hand of God the Father Almighty." 

On the fortieth day after His resurrection our Savior ascended 
into heaven. You saw that from the Bible history which I related 
unto you. Visibly, in and according to His human nature, He 
ascended on high, unto heaven, and entered into the glory of His 
Father. 

From this ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ you can, if you 
understand it aright, derive great and strong comfort and a blessed 
and sure hope. 

Hearken ! 

The ascension of the Lord Jesus must not be so regarded as 
if the Lord Jesus had, for His own benefit, for His own blessed- 
ness, ascended into heaven and entered into the glory of His 
Father. It is not as if He had said: "Now I have finished all 
my work on earth, now I am going to leave and go to heaven and 
enter into the glory of my Father." That is not the true meaning 
of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. If that were its true 
meaning, there would be little comfort for us in the ascension of 
the Lord Jesus; then we should rather have to regret and mourn 
His ascension and say : "Alas ! Our Lord Jesus is gone away 



177 

from ns ! As far as He is concerned, we can only rejoice that He 
is now in heaven and in the glory of His Father; but as for us, 
we no longer have Him now, He is no longer with ns/' 

No. The ascension of the Lord Jesus must be viewed in an 
altogether different light. As our Savior, as our Substitute, for us, 
for our benefit, the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven and entered 
into the glory of His Father. May I speak after the manner of 
men, after the manner of a child? The Lord Jesus ascended up 
to heaven and rapped at the door. And He spoke thus : "I desire 
to go into heaven and enter into the glory of my Father. But I 
come, not for myself, but for mankind, whom I have redeemed; 
I come as their Substitute. For them, the poor sinners, I would 
take possession of heaven, seeing I acquired it for them with my 
blood and death. I am the Brother, the Savior, the Substitute of 
all poor sinners; if heaven is now opened to me, it will be, and 
thereby is, opened to them — they can go into heaven and into 
heaven's glory." Thus He spoke. And lo ! the gates of heaven 
opened wide, and the heavenly host shouted "Welcome !" and the 
Father stretched out His arms to Him — to Him who came for us, 
to take possession of heaven for us and to prepare a place there 
for us. Hence the Lord Jesus said in the night when He suffered 
and died : "In my Father's house are many mansions. ... I go 
to prepare a place for you," John 14, 2. — For us, then, the Lord 
Jesus took possession of heaven, for us He thus prepared a place 
in glory, and for us He now keeps heaven open and keeps a place 
prepared where we shall be forevermore. Is not this a great com- 
fort and a blessed and sure hope? For this reason the Holy Ghost 
says in the Holy Scriptures unto Christ : "Thou hast ascended on 
high, Thou hast led captivity captive : Thou hast received gifts 
for men, yea, for the rebellious also," Ps. 68, 19 ; Eph. 4, 8. Yes, 
Christ has demolished our house of captivity and ascended on high, 
into heaven, and gives us poor sinners and rebellious people heav- 
enly gifts, yea, heaven itself. 

And I will tell you another thing about the ascension of the 
Lord Jesus. — Do you think the Lord Jesus is far away from us 
now, because He ascended into heaven and entered into the glory 
of His Father? If you think thus, you are very much mistaken. 
I will tell you a word which God has spoken. It reads thus : "He 
that descended" (that is Christ, who came to earth and descended 
into the lowest depths of humiliation) "is the same also that 
12 



178 

ascended far above all heavens, that He might fill all things," 
Eph. 4, 10. Do you hear? Do you understand? Christ ascended, 
not to disappear into a distant heaven, but He ascended far above 
all heavens, and He now fills all things, He is now present every- 
where, and that not in and according to His divine nature merely, 
but in and according to His human nature; for it was in this 
nature and according to this nature that He ascended. He entered 
into the glory of His Father, and it is part and parcel of the glory 
of His Father that He is present everywhere. Hence Christ, too, 
is now present everywhere in and according to His human nature. 
And hence His parting words to His disciples, when He was about 
to ascend into heaven, were these: "Lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world," Matt. 28, 20. Yes, your Savior, 
who ascended into heaven, is with you. And this, too, is a great 
comfort, a great, sweet comfort. 

And I will tell you still another thing about the ascension of 
the Lord Jesus. He now sits at the right hand of God the Father 
Almighty. David says by the Holy Ghost: "The Lord said unto 
my Lord (Christ): Sit Thou at my right hand, until I make 
Thine enemies Thy footstool," Ps. 110, 1. And St. Mark writes 
by the Holy Spirit: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto 
them,- He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand 
of God," Mark 16, 19. What is the right hand of God? A hand 
of flesh and bones ? Oh, no. The right hand of God is the divine 
majesty and power with which God, being everywhere present, 
governs all things. There your Savior sits. Hence He, also ac- 
cording to His human nature, is omnipresent and governs all things 
with divine majesty and power. He governs everything with divine 
majesty and power, everything. And being the Savior, He puts 
this almighty government or dominion, which extends over all 
things, to this special use: He governs and protects them that are 
His, that believe in Him as their Savior. He is the Head of the 
Church, exalted to the right hand of God. And the Church, the 
congregation of believers, is His body, as it were, His spiritual 
body. And He is present with His Church. He fills the Church 
with His gracious presence, and He governs and protects it with 
His almighty grace and leads it heavenward, toward that heaven 
which He opened and occupied for the Church. Thus God has 
delivered to our Savior the government of the world and especially 
the government of us, His Christians. The Bible says: "God 



179 

set Christ at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above 
all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every 
name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which 
is to come : and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him 
to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, 
the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (that is, the Church is 
full of that Christ who fills all things), Eph. 1, 20—23. 

What great comfort the ascension of Christ affords to you, 
to me, and all Christians ! Who or what can harm us, seeing our 
Savior and Head and Lord is the Ruler of the world? Who or 
what can deprive us of heaven, whereof He has taken possession 
in our behalf? 

We thank Thee, Jesus, dearest Friend, 
That Thou didst into heaven ascend, 
mighty God, Immanuel; 
Make soul and body strong and well. 
Hallelujah ! 

Ascended to His throne on high, 
He yet is to us always nigh; 
Thus God and man He ever reigns, 
And infinite in power remains. 
Hallelujah! 

Above all heavens in glory raised, 
Forever by all angels praised, 
All human beings rules our Lord, 
All creatures must obey His word. 
Hallelujah! 

He rules and reigns at God's right hand, 
And has all power at His command, 
All things are subject to His rod — 
The Son of man and Son of God. 
Hallelujah ! 

We trust in Him, our Lord and God, 
Who hath redeemed us by His blood; 
He captive led captivity, 
From bitter death to set us free. 
Hallelujah! 

Through Him we heirs of heaven are made; 
Brother, Christ, extend Thine aid, 
That we may firmly trust in Thee, 
And live through Thee eternally. 
Hallelujah! 



180 

4. "From thence He Shall Come to Judge the Quick and 

the Dead." 

One day Christ will come again. Descending from heaven He 
will come. Visibly, so that all men will see Him, He will come. 
He will come in the glory of His Father with all His holy angels. 

Thus says Holy Scripture, the Word of God. 

When at the Lord's ascension the Apostles looked steadfastly 
toward heaven, two men stood by them in white apparel — they 
were angels — "which also said : Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye 
gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from 
you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him 
go into heaven," Acts 1, 11. "Every eye shall see Him," Eev. 1, 7. 
"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven," 1 Thess. 4, 16. 
"Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see 
the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and 
great glory," Matt. 24, 30. "The Son of Man shall come in the 
glory of His Father with His angels," Matt. 16, 27. 

When the Lord Jesus thus comes again, all the dead will rise, 
as I shall explain to you later on, when we consider the Third 
Article of the Christian Creed. 

And then the Lord Jesus will judge the quick and the dead. 

Yes, there is going to be a judgment. Our conscience testifies 
to that. Holy Scripture also testifies to that. It says : "He (Jesus 
Christ) is ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead," 
Acts 10, 42. "The Father hath committed all judgment unto the 
Son," John 5, 22. "He (God) hath appointed a day in which He 
will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath 
ordained" (Jesus Christ), Acts 17, 31. 

And : "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ," 
Eom. 14, 10. "Before Him shall be gathered all nations," Matt. 
25, 32. "The dead, small and great, stand before God," Eev. 20, 12. 
The holy angels, being the officers in the judgment, will bring all 
men before His judgment seat, Matt. 24, 31; 13, 41. Also the 
evil angels will be there, to receive the "everlasting chains in dark- 
ness," Jude 6. 

And "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every 
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil," Eccl. 12, , 14. 
"Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account 
thereof in the day of judgment," Matt. 12, 36. The Lord, when 
He comes, "will make manifest the counsels of the hearts," 1 Cor. 



181 

4, 5. Yes, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 
that every one may receive the things done in his body, according 
to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad/ 7 2 Cor. 5, 10. 
There will be no hiding there, no concealment of the facts, no dis- 
guising, no excusing. Nothing will have grown old and be for- 
gotten. Our whole life, with all its deeds and words and thoughts, 
our whole being, will be set in full light, will be laid perfectly bare, 
before the flaming eyes of the Judge. 

And, as we have already heard, in righteousness will He judge 
the world, in righteousness so perfect that all the world, heaven, 
earth, and hell, will have to say His judgment is just. 

And we may know even now what the verdict will be. For 
He will judge us according to His Word which He spoke here on 
earth and by the mouth of His Prophets and Apostles, and which 
He has delivered to us in the Bible. He says: "The word that 
I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (who has 
despised Christ and His Word), John 12, 48. And St. Paul 
writes: "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ 
according to my Gospel/' Eom. 2, 16. And here is the gist, the 
sum and substance of His Word, according to which all the world 
will be judged: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel 
unto every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned/' Mark 16, 15. 16. 
And here is another utterance of the same nature: "He that be- 
lieveth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is 
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of 
the only-begotten Son of God/' John 3, 18. 

There you have it. "'God sent not His Son into the world 
to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be 
saved," John 3, 17. If, by the grace of God, you believe in the 
Son of God, your Savior, and bear witness of your faith by love 
for Him and by deeds of love — however feeble — you will not be 
condemned; for if you believe, you have forgiveness of your sins 
through Him. But he that rejects the Savior is condemned, and 
will one day be condemned publicly, according to the rigid Law 
which he has a thousand times transgressed. 

Thus, and thus alone, will it be on the day of judgment. — 

And when will this day come 6 ? 

At the end of the world. The Day of Judgment will be the 
last day of this present world. St. Peter writes : "The day of the 



182 

Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens 
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt 
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein 
shall be burned up," 2 Pet. 3, 10. On the day of Christ's second 
coming and of judgment the world will pass away, and that by 
fire. That will be the last day. 

And when will this last day come? 

That is a thing which no man knows. The Lord Jesus says: 
"Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of 
heaven, but my Father only," Matt. 24, 36. And He says : "As a 
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole 
earth," Luke 21, 35. And St. Peter writes: "The day of the Lord 
shall come as a thief in the night," 2 Pet. 3, 10. 

Judgment Day may come any moment. For all things are 
accomplished which, according to the Bible, should be accomplished 
and done before its coming. John writes: "Little children, it is 
the last time," 1 John 2, 18. Peter writes : "The end of all things 
is at hand," 1 Pet. 4, 7. James : "The coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh. . . . Behold, the Judge standeth before the door," James 
5, 8. 9. St. Paul speaks of the Christians of New Testament times 
as of people "upon whom the ends of the world are come," 
1 Cor. 10, 11. 

Be ready, therefore, every day ! Be ready ! Be Christ's, be 
Christ's own ! Then you need not fear the last day, the Day of 
Judgment, but you may look forward to it with joy. Say believ- 
ingly : "To this end Christ redeemed me, to this end He humbled 
Himself unto death and was exalted again, 'that I might be His 
own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in ever- 
lasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is 
risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most 
certainly true." 

Soon will the Lord, my Life, appear; 
Soon shall I end my trials here; 
Leave sin and sorrow, death and pain: 
To live is Christ, to die is gain. 



183 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Of the Holy Ghost and of Sanctification. 

The Thied Article of the Holy Christian Creed treats of 
the Holy Ghost and of Sanctification, and reads thus : 

"I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the 
communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of 
the body; and the life everlasting. Amen." 

And the explanation which Dr. Luther has given in his Small 
Catechism reads thus: 

"I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe 
in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost 
has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanc- 
tified and kept me in the true faith ; even as He calls, gathers, en- 
lightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and 
keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith: in which Chris- 
tian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all 
believers, and will at the last day raise up me and all the dead, 
and give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This 
is most certainly true." 

This article treats of five points: 1. of the Holy Ghost; 2. of 
the Church; 3. of the Forgiveness of Sins; 4. of the Eesurrection 
of the Body; 5. of the Life Everlasting. 

In the present chapter I shall tell you the most necessary 
things about the Holy Ghost and about His work, the work of 
Sanctification. 

Who is the Holy Ghost? 

You know that. The Holy Ghost is the Third Person in the 
Holy Trinity, true God with the Father and Son. 

Therefore the Lord Jesus says : "Go ye and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 
the Holy Ghost," Matt. 28, 19. Therefore the Apostle says to 
believing Christians: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of 
God, and that (because) the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 
1 Cor. 3, 16. Therefore the Apostle Peter, being filled with the 
Holy Ghost, said to the liar and hypocrite Ananias : "Why hath 
Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not 
lied unto men, but unto God" Acts 5, 3. 4. And therefore it says 
in the Christian Creed: "I believe in the Holy Ghost," just as I 
believe in the Father and in the Son. 



184 

And many other passages do we find in the Bible which show 
that the Holy Ghost is the true God. 

And what does the Holy Ghost do for us? 

He performs the work of Sanctification in us. Hence the 
Bible speaks of the "sanctification of the Spirit," 2 Thess. 2, 13 ; 
1 Pet. 1, 2. 

What does that mean? 

That means : The Holy Ghost makes us sinners holy. 

You ask how the Holy Ghost makes us sinners holy ? — He 
appropriates unto us the Lord Jesus Christ; He makes the Lord 
Jesus Christ become our own, with all His merit, with all His 
righteousness, with all His holiness, with . all His power — and 
thus He makes us sinners become holy in the Lord Jesus Christ 
and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence Holy Scripture says: 
"Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God'' 1 Cor. 6, 11. 

But how, you ask, does the Holy Ghost make the Lord Jesus 
thus to become our own, all His merit, all His righteousness, all 
His holiness, all His power, to become our own and to be imputed 
and delivered unto us? I reply: The Holy Ghost makes us 
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Beflect a moment. The Lord 
Jesus Christ is given us of God with all His merit, all His right- 
eousness, all His holiness, all His power. ISTow if we receive this 
Lord Jesus Christ, who is given us of God, if we trust in, and 
rely upon, Him, if, in a word, we believe in Him: why, then we 
have Him, then He is our own, then He belongs to us with all 
His merit, righteousness, holiness, power, then we are holy in 
Him and through Him. 

In this manner the Holy Ghost makes us sinners holy: by 
making us believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore the Lord 
Jesus says that the Christians are "sanctified by faith that is in 
me," Acts 26, 18. 

But can we not of ourselves, by our own reason and strength, 
believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, or come to Him? Must the 
Holy Ghost perform this work of sanctification in us? 

Dr. Martin Luther, in the explanation of the Third Article, 
says thus : "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength 
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy 
Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, 
sanctified and kept me in the true faith." Thus you and every 



185 

Christian should say. You should know and understand that you 
cannot by your own reason and strength believe in Jesus Christ. 
The Holy Ghost, and He alone, makes you believe in Jesus Christ 
and come to Him, by the Gospel, and thus performs in you the 
work of sanctification. 

And this thing you will know and understand if you will 
now let me explain the matter to you from Holy Scripture, from 
the Word of God. God, in His Word, speaks the truth. God's 
Word you must believe; God's Word you must suffer to be your 
knowledge and your understanding. 

What, then, does God's Word say? Why can you not by your 
own reason and strength believe in Jesus Christ, your Lord, or 
come to Him ? The Word of God says that by nature, before the 
Holy Ghost performs His work in you, you are spiritually Wind, 
dead, and God's enemy. Thus you are by nature. And for this 
reason you certainly cannot by }^our own reason and strength be- 
lieve in Jesus Christ, your Lord, or come to Him. 

The Word of God says, in the first place: "The natural man 
receiveth not the tilings of the Spirit of God: for they are foolish- 
ness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spirit- 
ually discerned/' 1 Cor. 2, 14. So the natural man, man as he is 
by nature, before the Holy Ghost performs His work in him, re- 
ceives not, understands not, comprehends not, accepts not, the 
things of the Spirit of God, the things which God reveals, which 
proceed from the Spirit of God; least of all does he receive the 
things pertaining to Jesus Christ. On the contrary, these things 
are foolishness to the natural man, they are nonsense, they are 
madness to him. He cannot know them; with him it is im- 
possible to know the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that is 
in Him. For these things are "spiritually discerned," they must 
be judged and weighed with a spiritual, divine understanding; 
the natural man, however, has no spiritual, divine understanding; 
all he has is a carnal, sinful, earthly, human understanding. He 
is spiritually blind. And thus no man can by his own reason and 
strength believe in Jesus Christ, his Lord, or come to Him. 

The AVord of God furthermore says : "You were dead in tres- 
passes and sins," Eph. 2, 1. This little passage of Holy Writ 
entirely sets at naught all of man's own reason and strength in 
things divine. Being trespassers and sinners, we are dead, spir- 
itually dead. How, then, can we by our own reason and strength 



18G 

believe in Jesus Christ, our -Lord, or come to Him ? We can no 
more by our own reason and strength believe in Jesus Christ, our 
Lord, or come to Him than it was possible for dead Lazarus to 
return to life and come forth from the grave by his own reason 
and strength. 

The Word of God furthermore says : "The carnal mind is 
enmity against God/' Eom. 8, 7. By nature we all are carnally 
minded, sinfully minded, are we not? Now, God says that the 
carnal mind is enmity against God. So, by nature, we all are 
God's enemies, we hate God. For God is holy and hates sin; but 
we are unholy and are lovers of sin. A greater contrast, greater 
opposites there cannot be. So we are enemies of God and hate 
God with all our reason and all our strength. How, then, should 
we be able by this our own reason and strength to believe in the 
Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, or come to Him? Such a 
thing were impossible. No, we hate Him by nature. 

Hence the Word of God says: "No man can say that Jesus 
is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost/' 1 Cor. 12, 3. No man can 
believe in Jesus Christ and believingly call Him his Lord and 
Savior, save only and alone by the Holy Ghost. And the Lord 
Jesus Himself says: "No man can come unto me, except it were 
given unto him of my Father/' John 6, 65. If a man is to come 
to Christ, to embrace Him in true faith, it can be brought about 
only in this wise that it be given him of the Father, through the 
Holy Ghost, through the work and working of the Holy Ghost. 

I hope, dear reader, that you are already a believer, that you 
already believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that you have already 
embraced Him in true faith. If so, you owe that entirely to the 
Holy Ghost; you did not aid in that work in the least. 

For what has the Holy Ghost done to make you believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, to lead you to Him, to sanctify you? 

He has called you by the Gospel. 

The Gospel is the glad tidings of the grace of God in Christ 
Jesus. Now this Gospel has been "reported unto you by them that 
have preached the Gospel." And this book has told you about it. 
But properly speaking, it has been reported unto you by "the 
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven/' 1 Pet. 1, 12. For the 
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven brought the Gospel down 
from heaven and is always present with and in the Gospel. So, 
properly speaking, it is He who has reported, or proclaimed, 



187 

the Gospel unto you. And in reporting unto you the grace of God 
which is in Christ Jesus, He has also called you unto the grace of 
God in Christ Jesus. He has reported unto you the grace of God 
in Christ Jesus and has said and continues to say : "Come, for 
all things are now ready !" The Holy Ghost tells you that the 
Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior and has redeemed you and recon- 
ciled you unto God and has opened unto you God's paternal 
(= fatherly) arms and His paternal heart and heaven and ever- 
lasting bliss; and He (the Holy Ghost) now bids you come. He 
now bids you believe, He now bids you trust and come rejoicing. 
— Thus has the Holy Ghost called you by the Gospel. 

However, in thus calling you by the Gospel, the Holy Ghost 
has, by this same Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts. 

By the Gospel, by means of which He called you unto the 
grace of God in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost wrought upon you 
a miracle great and divine. To you, who were spiritually blind, 
He thereby gave light. To you, who were spiritually dead, He 
thereby gave life. To you, who were God's enemy, He thereby 
gave a heartfelt desire for God and for God's grace in Christ Jesus, 
which is proclaimed to you in the Gospel. In a word, the Holy 
Ghost, by the Gospel, gave you faith in Jesus Christ, so that you 
are come to your Savior, that you know Him as your dear Savior, 
that you trust and rely upon Him, that you rejoice and take com- 
fort in Him. — Thus has the Holy Ghost, by the Gospel, enlight- 
ened you with His gifts. 

The Bible says : "So, then, faith cometh by hearing, and hear- 
ing by the Word of God," Eom. 10, 17, that is, by the Gospel. 
And of a sinner's being called and enlightened, which comes to 
pass through the hearing of the Gospel, the Bible speaks thus : 
"Ye," it says to believing Christians, "are a chosen generation, 
a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye 
should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of 
darkness into His marvelous light," 1 Pet. 2, 9. And Christians 
shall say: "God, who commanded the light to shine out of dark- 
ness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge 
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. 4, 6. 

When a man has thus been called and enlightened : made a 
believer, by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel, he is converted 
and regenerated, or born again, as Scripture furthermore calls it. 
He is converted: he is turned about from the way that leads to 



188 

destruction, and is turned toward Christ, who is the Way, the 
Truth, and the Life, and by whom alone a man cometh to the 
Father. And such a man is regenerated, is born again: he is no 
longer as he was by nature: a child of unbelief and of the wrath 
of God; but he is now a child of faith, a child of grace, a child 
of God, an heir of eternal life. For this I say unto you as a word 
of God and in God's name : him that turns to the Lord Jesus 
Christ, that comes to Him, that knows Him as his dear Savior, that 
trusts and relies upon Him, that rejoices and takes comfort in 
Him, — though he do it ever so feebly, with much trembling and 
hesitation, yea, though tortured with doubt, — him the Savior re- 
ceives, him the Father clasps to His bosom as His own dear child; 
he is born again, regenerated. 

Of such conversion and regeneration the Holy Bible speaks 
thus : "Ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now returned unto 
the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls," 1 Pet. 2, 25. "Being 
bom again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the 
Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever," 1 Pet. 1, 23. 
"As many as received Him (Christ), to them gave He power" 
(the great privilege) "to become the sons of God, even to them 
that believe on His name: which were bom, not of blood, nor of 
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God/' John 
1, 12. 13. 

Behold, this thing the Holy Ghost has wrought upon you and 
in you by the Gospel, He alone; you with your own reason and 
strength did not aid in this thing in the least; neither, indeed, 
could you. In this manner, by thus calling and enlightening you, 
the Holy Ghost has made you a believer in Jesus Christ, your 
Savior, has brought you to Him, has converted you to Him, has 
regenerated you, so that you now are a child of God, received into 
grace, sanctified by the merit and the righteousness and the holi- 
ness 'of your Savior Jesus Christ (which things through faith have 
become your own) and furnished with His strength. 
* * * 

I repeat: In this manner you sinner have been sanctified, 
made holy. If you believe in Jesus Christ, your Savior, Christ 
your Savior's merit and righteousness and holiness belongs to you, 
and in the sight of God it covers up all your sin and unrighteous- 
ness and unholiness. In looking upon you, God no longer sees 
your sins upon you and in you; all He sees upon you and in you 



189 

is the holiness of your Savior, and for His sake He regards you 
as perfectly holy. 

But the Holy Ghost sanctifies you, makes you holy, in an- 
other, in a more special sense. Of this special sanctification 
Dr. Luther speaks in his Catechism when he says that the Holy 
Ghost has, by the Gospel, "sanctified" you "in the true faith." 

What does that mean? 

It means that, having made you a believer, and having thus 
appropriated unto you the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the 
Holy Ghost furthermore makes you pious and godly. 

Do you understand that? 

Behold, when the Holy Ghost, by the Gospel, kindled in your 
heart faith in your Savior Jesus Christ, He thereby also changed 
your poor sinful heart. He renewed your heart, so that now you 
no longer love sin, but you love God and God's will and com- 
mandments. Your will no longer is to serve sin, which, indeed, 
still clings to you and besets you, but your will is to serve God, 
who has so very graciously received you. The Holy Ghost, in 
making you a believer, created in you a heartfelt desire to keep 
God's commandment, to lead a godly life, to do good works. And 
not only the desire so to do did the Holy Ghost give you when He 
made you a believer in Christ, He also gave you the power. When 
the Holy Ghost, by the Gospel, brought you to Christ and made 
you believe in Him, also your Savior's strength became your own, 
as I have repeatedly said. And thus you now have strength to 
struggle against and overcome the Devil, the world, and the flesh, 
and to walk in godliness and good works. This your Savior's 
strength continually flows and pours into you through the Gospel 
and through the Holy Ghost, who is always present in the Gospel 
and works in you through the Gospel. 

Of this special sanctification, of this sanctification in the life 
and conversation of believers, the Holy Bible speaks when it says: 
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification/' 1 Thess. 4, 3. 

Yes, God wills that His dear Christians and children, whom 
He has received into grace, shall live and walk in righteousness 
and godliness. Hereunto He created and ordained them when by 
His Holy Spirit He made them believers. Wherefore the Bible 
teaches Christians and children of God to say thus: "We are His 
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which 
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," Eph. 2, 10. 



190 

And the Apostle admonishes us by the Holy Spirit: "According 
as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain 
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath 
called us to glory and virtue: . . . giving all diligence, add to 
your faith virtue," 2 Pet. 1, 3. 5. And again the Bible teaches 
Christians and children of God to say: "I delight in the Law of 
God after the inward man," Eom. 7, 22. 

This special sanctification in the life and conversation is the 
mark by which you may know all true Christians and children of 
God. It is their spiritual trade-mark, so to speak. Every true 
Christian is just and godly. He that will not be just and godly 
is not a true Christian, is not a child of God, is not a believer in 
Jesus Christ, he has not come to Jesus Christ in true faith. You 
see into that, no doubt. 

But you must know, furthermore, that this special sanctifica- 
tion never reaches perfection in this present life. As long as you 
live "evil is present" with you. There will always be within you 
a constant war and struggle between the old man and the new man. 
You will never be able to be and to live as you would like. Again 
and again the sin that is in you will break out in desire, and 
thought, and word, and deed. But again and again you will quell 
and conquer sin in the power of Christ, which is given you by the 
Holy Ghost, who by the Gospel dwells in you and works in you. 
You follow your Savior, indeed; but you follow Him as one that 
is weak and sick and weary, often stumbling and falling. But 
again and again you grow strong and hale and hearty, and rise up 
and take steps that falter not, and follow Him. And hearken ! 
Again and again the holiness of your Savior, which is given and 
imputed to you, supplies what you lack in holiness of your own. 
Thus again and again you are the victor until — you reach eternal 
life. There you will be perfect. The Apostle writes: "I delight 
in the Law of God after the inward man." This you have already 
heard. Then he continues : "But I see another law in my mem- 
bers, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into 
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. wretched 
man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? 
I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord !" Eom. 7, 22—25. 
There you have in very few and simple words a Christian's life of 
sanctification. Warfare and wretchedness lie in its path, but so 
do victory and comfort from on high. 



191 

A Christian's life of sanctification consists in this — to ex- 
press myself briefly and in language that all can understand — 
that a Christian does good works. The Bible very frequently ex- 
presses the matter thus. Eemember the passage you just heard: 
"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in 
them/' Eph. 2, 10. Hence, for the sake of greater clearness, 
I would like, before passing on, to explain briefly and clearly what, 
in the sight of God, is a good work. 

I ask, then: What, in the sight of God, is a good work? 

The following is a good answer: A good work in the sight of 
God is whatever a child of God does, speaks, or thinks, by faith, 
according to the Ten Commandments, for the glory of God and 
for the benefit of his neighbor. 

I will explain this answer briefly. 

Only he can do a good work in the sight of God who, through 
faith in Jesus Christ, is reconciled unto God and is God's dear 
child, only he who is in the faith. All the so-called good works 
that are done by unbelievers and godless people may, in outward 
appearance and in the sight of men, seem good, but they are not 
good in the sight of God. In these works the heart is wanting: 
the childlike love of God, the childlike desire to obey God and to 
please God. How should the works of these people be good in the 
sight of God who will have nothing to do with God, who will not 
accept the Savior whom God has sent, who reject God's offer of 
reconciliation? How should God be pleased with the works, the 
dead works, of His enemies? Yes, dead works, such are even the 
best works that unbelievers do. For they are not born out of the 
life that is of God and in God; they have not in themselves the 
life that is of God and in God; they are nothing more than the 
works of blind, dead, and God-hating men, works in which God's 
holy eyes see sin upon sin: dead works. Unbelievers, who have 
not become God's children through faith in Jesus Christ, are 
utterly void of power to do good works in the sight of God. Good 
works in the sight of God can be done only and solely by believers 
and children of God. For even though the works of these people 
are imperfect and tainted with sin, yet God sees that they are 
the first-fruits of the new life which He has created, that they are 
born out of budding and growing love for Him, that they are 
wrought by His Holy Spirit, in a word, that they are done by His 



192 

children, whom He loves with tender love. Herein God is like 
a mother who is filled with delight even at the first toddling steps 
of her darling child. Of a truth, only that is a good work in the 
sight of God which a child of God does by faith, by faith in Jesns 
Christ. Hence the Lord Jesns says to them that are His: "I am 
the Vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in 
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for withont me ye can 
do nothing/' John 15, 5. 

And good works in the sight of God are those works which 
are done according to the Ten Commandments. In the Ten Com- 
mandments God has told ns what He requires of ns, what manner 
of works we are to do. By these commandments children of God 
should be governed. If they suffer themselves to be governed by 
these commandments, they will all their lifetime have more to do 
than they can accomplish. We must not lose sight of the Ten 
Commandments. We must not think out works of our own which 
we would do. We must not suffer men to tell us what manner of 
works we must do. God has told us what we are to do and what 
we are not to do. In«the Ten Commandments He has told us. 
These we should make our rule. If we fail to do this, the Word 
of God will apply to us : "In vain they do worship me, teaching 
for doctrines the commandments of men," Matt. 15, 9. Certainly 
we should do what God says, what God would have us do. 

And good works in the sight of God are those works which 
are done for the glory of God. Our works must not be done for 
our own glory. That in our works which is of us is all sin. What- 
ever in our works is good, is of God, who, by His Holy Spirit, works 
it in us. Hence, in all our works we must give glory to God. And 
we must do all our works for this purpose and to this end, that 
God, our merciful Father, may be glorified thereby. Our works 
must tend to the glory of God, so that other people, when they see 
our good works, may praise God and say: "Behold, such are the 
works that are done by Christians and children of God. Let us 
also seek this God that we may know Him/' Therefore the Word 
of God says to Christians : "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory 
of God," 1 Cor. 10, 31. 

And good works in the sight of God are those works which 
are done for the benefit of one's neighbor. This is God's com- 
mandment that we love one another. Everybody shall love his 
neighbor as himself. And in such love we are to serve one another, 



193 

help one another, benefit one another, for time and eternity. God 
has given every one of His children gifts and graces with which 
he can help, benefit, serve others. These gifts and graces we are 
to employ in heartfelt love in the service of our neighbor. So do- 
ing, we shall do good works. God, in His Word, says to His chil- 
dren: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the 
same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of 
God," 1 Pet. 4, 10. 

Lastly, a good work in the sight of God is whatever a child 
of God — by faith, according to the Ten Commandments, for the 
glory of God and the benefit of his neighbor — does, speaks, or 
thinks. If, as a child of God, yon would do good works, yon need 
not think that yon must do works that appear great and extra- 
ordinary. Nay. Everything . is a good work — everything that 
you do by faith, according to the Ten Commandments, for the 
glory of God and the benefit of your neighbor, even the most ordi- 
nary works of everyday life. If the father and head of a household 
in this manner provides for his own by his daily labor, and in this 
manner serves his employer — that is a good work in the sight of 
God. If the mother and mistress of a household in this manner 
attends to her household duties — that is a good work in the sight 
of God. Yea, every little deed, every little word, nay, every 
thought, of a believer and child of God is a good work in the sight 
of God, if it be done according to the Ten Commandments, and 
for the glory of God and for the benefit of his neighbor. 

Xow you know what is a good work. So, if you are a child 
of God, be zealous of good works, unto which the Holy Ghost 
draws you by the Gospel and gives you strength. 

*H H< ♦ 

And do you know what the Holy Ghost has finally wrought 
in you by the Gospel? 

He has, by the Gospel, kept you in the true faith. 

You, by your own reason and strength, could not for a single 
moment have continued in the true faith. If the Holy Spirit had 
not kept you in the true faith by the Gospel, you would imme- 
diately have again become blind and dead and an enemy of God, 
in a word : an unbeliever. Xot for a moment could you, by your 
own reason and strength, have stood your ground against the 
temptations of the Devil, the world, and the flesh, that is, of your 

sinful nature. That vou have been kept in the true faith is one 
13 



194 

of the miracles of divine grace which the Holy Spirit has wrought 
in you by the Gospel. Thank Him for such grace ! 

And the Holy Ghost is willing, by the Gospel, to keep you 
furthermore in the true faith, even unto the end, that you may 
be saved. God, in His Word, says to us Christians : "Ye are kept 
by the power of God through faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. 1, 5. 
And the Apostle Paul writes thus by inspiration of the Holy Ghost : 
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun 
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ," 
Phil. 1, 6. These are sure promises of God, which you can de- 
pend upon. 

Continue in the Gospel ! Use, hear, read, learn, study, the 
Gospel ! In the Gospel the Holy Spirit makes His abode. By 
the Gospel the Holy Spirit works at your heart. By the Gospel 
the Holy Spirit is poured into your heart like a heavenly oil, and 
feeds the fire of faith which He has kindled in your heart, and 
makes it mightier, and makes it consume all things that seek to 
extinguish it, makes it burn brighter and brighter and give an 
ever stronger light of good works. Or I will say thus : By nature 
your heart is cold and dark, like iron. But as iron is made warm 
and glowing when cast into the fire, so your heart is made warm 
and glowing in the faith by the Gospel, in which the Holy Spirit 
dwells and in which He works upon you and in you. But as iron 
grows cold and dark again when taken out of the fire, so your 
heart likewise will soon grow cold and dark again, in unbelief and 
sin, if you do not continue in the Gospel. But if you continue in 
the Gospel, your heart will continue warm and glowing, and will 
wax warmer and warmer and will glow brighter and brighter, and 
steadily increase in strength and might and power and firmness, 
and will be impregnable through faith, so that no one and nothing 
will be able to extinguish and darken and weaken and destroy it. 
Do, therefore, continue in the Gospel ! The Gospel "is the power 
of God unto salvation," Kom. 1, 16. By the Gospel the Holy Ghost 
will surely keep you in the faith unto salvation. Continue in the 
Gospel ! 

All this work which you have now heard about : that the Holy 
Ghost has called you by the Gospel, enlightened you with His gifts, 
sanctified and kept you in the true faith — has the Holy Ghost 
wrought all this in you only? 



195 

God forbid ! He has done this in you "even as He calls, 
gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on 
earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith." Thus 
says Dr. Luther in the Catechism. Need I add anything on that 
score? I surely need not. There surely can be no doubt about 
that. There surely are other Christians on earth besides you. You 
are not the only one. But all Christians on earth are indebted for 
what they are, and for the fact that they abide in Christ, to the 
Holy Ghost, and to Him alone, who has called them by the Gospel 
even as He has you, and enlightened them with His gifts, and 
sanctified and kept them in the true faith. 

But still — here a question arises. 

Do not a great many people hear the Gospel and still fail 
to become believers? What of them? Is the Holy Ghost not 
willing to perform the holy work of sanctification, of which we 
have now been speaking, — is the Holy Ghost not willing to per- 
form this work in every person that hears the Gospel? 

Yes, indeed, the Holy Ghost is willing to perform in every 
person, by the Gospel, that work which He has wrought in you 
and in the whole Christian Church on earth. It is His will to call 
by the Gospel, enlighten with His gifts, sanctify and keep with 
Jesus Christ in the one true faith, and thus finally lead to salva- 
tion, every human being. But most men obstinately resist the 
Word and Spirit of God, and thus it is solely their own fault that 
they are not made believers and saved, but are lost. 

Look here ! I will show you some sure and plain words of 
God by which you may know that the Holy Ghost is willing, by 
the Gospel, to make all men believers and save them. "As I live, 
saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, 
but that the wicked turn from his way and live," Ezek. 33, 11. 
""God will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowl- 
edge of the truth," 1 Tim. 2, 4. "The Lord is not willing that 
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance/' 2 Pet. 
.3, 9. By repentance is meant that a man acknowledge his sins 
and be sorry for them and believe in the Savior Jesus Christ and 
take comfort in Him. "God so loved the world that He gave His 
■only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life," John 3, 16. By these passages 
you surely see that the Holy Ghost is willing to make every human 
being a believer, and save him, by the Gospel. 



196 

But the Word of God says furthermore: "Many are called, 
but few are chosen/' Matt. 22, 14. That is to say : Although the 
Holy Ghost, by the Gospel, calls many people, yet but few really 
become believers and are saved, and are therefore God's chosen 
children and heirs of eternal life. 

And now I will show you some sure and plain words of God 
by which you may know that it is man's own fault if he does not 
believe and gain salvation, but is lost. The Lord Jesus says to the 
city of Jerusalem, which was being called incessantly, and yet,, 
with respect to the great majority of its inhabitants, was unbe- 
lieving: "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, 
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, and ye would not," Matt. 23, 37. And to the 
Jewish council, which persecuted and killed the preachers and wit- 
nesses of the Lord Jesus, it was said : "Ye stiffnecked and uncir- 
cumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; 
as your fathers did, so do ye," Acts 7, 51. 

In a word, it is as the Prophet Hosea says: "0 Israel, thou 
hast destroyed thyself; hut in me is thine help," Hos. 13, 9. That, 
means : Whosoever is destroyed, destroys himself, by his own 
fault; God would give us nothing but help, and help is to be had 
of God alone. — 

Dear reader: The Holy Ghost is now busily working at you 

to save you through faith in Jesus Christ. my child, my child,. 

hinder not this work, but be as good ground, where the seed springs 

up and bears much fruit ! God grant you His grace to this end I 

Holy Ghost, eternal God, 
Best Comfort for life's rugged road, 
With all my heart I pray to Thee; 
Hear my entreaty graciously. 

O Lord, be Thou my Comforter, 
Lest in my sins I might despair; 
Protect me from the snares of hell, 
Grant that in Jesus Christ I dwell. 

That always I may ready be 
To serve this Master faithfully, 
And own Him in true living faith 
My Lord and Savior unto death. 

lead me in the narrow way, 
And from the fold let me not stray, 
That when this mortal frame I leave, 
The crown of life I may receive. 



197 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Of the Church. 

The second point of the Third Article of the holy Christian 
Creed treats of the Church. 

And it reads thus: "I believe in the holy Christian Churchy 
the communion of saints/' 

The word church is sometimes used to denote a house or build- 
ing in which divine services are held. But the proper meaning of 
church is congregation (= gathering) or communion. I beg you 
to remember that. 

Now, what manner of church, or congregation, or communion, 
is meant when it says in the Third Article : "I believe in the holy 
Christian Church"? 

The Third Article itself tells us what it means. It says: 
"I believe in the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints." 
The Third Article means the communion of saints. 

"The communion of saints" — what manner of communion, 
or congregation, or church, is that? 

"The communion of saints" is the communion, or congrega- 
tion, or church, of all those whom the Holy Ghost has, by the 
Gospel, made believers in Jesus Christ, and who, by faith in Jesus 
Christ, are sanctified, as you learned in the foregoing chapter. 
Or let me say the same thing in other words : The "communion of 
saints" is the whole Christian Church on earth, whom the Holy 
Ghost, by the Gospel, calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and 
keeps with Jesus Christ in the one true faith, as Dr. Luther ex- 
plains in his explanation of the Third Article. 

If, then, by "church" the Third Article of the holy Christian 
Creed means the "communion of saints," as the Article itself says, 
the Third Article herewith declares that only such belong to the 
Church as believe in Jesus Christ; for only they who believe in 
Jesus Christ are saints, or sanctified. But the Third Article like- 
wise declares herewith that all those belong to the Church who be- 
lieve in Jesus Christ; for all they who believe in Jesus Christ are 
saints, or sanctified. 

In a word, by "church" the Third Article of the Holy Christian 
Creed means the congregation, the communion, the whole number 
of all believers on earth. 



198 

And herein the Third Article is right. 

The Bible, also, means, by "church," the whole number of all 
believers on earth. 

Eph. 1, 22. 23 it says: "And (God) gave Him (Christ) to 
be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the 
fullness of Him that filleth all in all." 

I wish to help you thoroughly to understand this passage. 

God gave Christ to be "over all things," above every name 
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to 
come, and has put all things under His feet. Thus the Apostle says 
in the words just before our present text. That is the same thing 
that Jesus says, Himself, with the words: "All power is given to 
me in heaven and in earth," Matt. 28, 18. 

But Christ, whom God gave to be over all things, Him God 
specially "gave to be the head . . . to the Church" The Church 
must, therefore, be something that specially belongs to the Lord 
Jesus Christ; the Church must be a congregation of people that 
have the great Lord of all the world for their special head. — Here, 
already, you can perceive that the Church is the congregation, the 
whole number, of believers. For only believers and, indeed, all 
believers are those persons who thus have Christ for their head. 

However, the Apostle says expressly what the Church is. He 
says : "Which is His body" The Church is the body of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It is His spiritual body. The Church is a congre- 
gation of people which is as closely united with Christ as the mem- 
bers of a body are with the head. Here you see with perfect clear- 
ness that the Church is the congregation, the whole number, of 
believers. For only believers and, indeed, all believers are so 
closely and intimately connected with Christ, as the body is with 
the head. 

Finally, the Apostle explains how the Church is the body of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. He says: (The Church is) "the fullness 
of Him that fllleth all in all." That is, Christ, who fills all things 
in heaven and on earth with His divine omnipresence and power, 
especially fills the Church — wherewith? With His grace, with 
His Spirit, with His merit, with His righteousness, with all the 
salvation He has achieved for it, with His life, with His mind, 
with His will. As the head imparts all life and motion to the 
body, so does Christ to His Church. How could you perceive more 
clearly that the Church is the congregation, or the whole number, 



199 

of believers? For only believers and all believers are thus filled 
with Christ, are thus "the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." 

I will show you another passage from which you can see that 
the Church is the whole number of all believers on earth. 

Eph. 2, 19 — 22 it says thus: "Now therefore ye are no more 
strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and 
of the household of God ; and are built upon the foundation of the 
Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner 
stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth 
unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded to- 
gether for a habitation of God through the Spirit." 

This passage, too, I would help you to thoroughly understand. 
That will be beneficial in a twofold way. In the first place, you 
will thus be the more firmly convinced that the Church is the 
whole number of believers on earth. In the second place, you will 
have a guide to a proper study and understanding of the precious 
language of the Bible. 

The Apostle writes what is said in this passage to the Chris- 
tians in the city of Ephesus, in Asia Minor. 

To these he writes that now they are no more strangers and 
foreigners — where? In the kingdom of God; but now they are 
citizens there, they are of the household of God. And such they 
are "with the saints" that is, even as all the saints, even as all 
that are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. 

And whence had the Christians of Ephesus, even as all the 
saints, this blessed privilege that they were citizens in the kingdom 
of God and of the household of God? They were "built upon the 
foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself 
being the chief corner stone" — even as all the saints. What does 
that mean, "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, 
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" ? That means, 
the Holy Ghost had, by the Gospel, made them believe in the Gos- 
pel, which was proclaimed by the Apostles and Prophets; and the 
Gospel was now the sure foundation, upon which they were founded ; 
and in the Gospel they had the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who, 
as you know, is the very pith and marrow of the Gospel ; — through 
faith in the Gospel they had Him with all His salvation which He 
achieved for them and for all the world, and thus, in reality, they 
were founded, by faith, upon the sole corner stone, Jesus Christ. 
And thence they had this blessedness that they, even as all the 



200 

saints, were citizens in the kingdom of God and members of God's 
household. For whosoever is founded by faith upon the Savior 
Jesus Christ is no stranger and foreigner in the kingdom of God, 
but a qualified citizen and a member of God's household; yea, he 
is God's dearly beloved child. 

From this you can see that the church, or congregation, at 
Ephesus, to whom the Apostle wrote the above words, was looked 
upon by him, and addressed, as a church, or congregation, of be- 
lievers. For only believers are no more strangers and foreigners, 
but citizens with the saints and of the household of God, built 
upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ 
Himself being the chief corner stone. 

But now the Apostle turns his eyes upon the whole Christian 
Church on earth, upon the Christian Church or congregation of 
all places and of all ages, and says : "In whom all the building 
fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." 
He would say: On Christ, as the sole corner stone, not only you 
Christians at Ephesus are founded by faith, but "all the building," 
that is, the whole Christian Church on earth, the Christian Church 
or congregation of all ages and places, is founded on Christ and 
grows in Him, as a building fitly framed together, unto a holy 
temple in the Lord, in which the Lord dwells and is worshiped. 

From this you surely see with certainty that the whole Chris- 
tian Church on earth, the whole Christian Church, or the congre- 
gation of all ages and places, is, according to Bible doctrine, noth- 
ing more nor less than the whole number of all believers. For only 
believers, but all believers, are the building, all the building, which, 
founded upon Christ, and, fitly framed together in Him, groweth 
unto a holy temple in the Lord. Or do you think that an unbe- 
liever, a godless person, a hypocrite, can belong to this building? 
Or do you think that any believer does not belong to this building, 
he having been forgotten or overlooked by God? Dear child, 
harbor no such thought. For, in the first place, it is written: 
"If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His," 
Eom. 8, 9. That is, whomsoever the Holy Ghost has not, by the 
Gospel, made a believer in Christ, he does not belong to the Lord 
Jesus Christ, he does not belong to the body of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, he does not belong to the Church and congregation of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, he does not belong to the building which is 
founded upon Christ, he does not belong to the holy temple in the 



201 

Lord. And again it is written: "The Lord knoweth them that 
are His," 2 Tim. 2, 19. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ knows all 
them that believe in Him and through faith belong to Him, full 
well, and He acknowledges and receives them as His own. Thus 
every one of them that are His belongs to Him, belongs to His 
body, belongs to His Church or congregation, belongs to the build- 
ing founded upon Him, belongs to the holy temple in the Lord. 
The Lord forgets none, overlooks none, of them that are His; 
every one of them He adds to His Church, gives him a place in 
His building and temple. — Thus only believers and all believers 
belong to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church is 
the whole number of all believers on earth. 

Finally the Apostle turns again to the Christians at Ephesus 
and says: "In whom (Christ) ye also are builded together for a 
habitation of God through the Spirit." With these words the 
Apostle once more and expressly says to the believing Ephesians, 
for their joy and comfort, that they, too, belong to "all the build- 
ing," to the holy temple in the Lord, in which G-od will dwell in 
all His grace through His Holy Spirit, who is the Maker and 
Preserver of faith, that hence they, too, belong to the Church of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the whole number of all believers 
on earth. 

Yes, the Church is "the communion of saints," the congre- 
gation of them that are sanctified by faith which is in Christ, the 
whole number of all believers on earth. 

Wherefore also the Third Article of the holy Christian Creed 
says : "I believe in the holy Christian Church." 

It says : "I believe in the holy Christian Church." 

Why does it say: "I believe"? 

For two reasons. 

First, because the Church is invisible. 

But how is the Church invisible? Do not men belong to the 
Church, men who have flesh and bones and who can, therefore, be 
seen? Indeed. But only men who believe belong to the Church. 
And no man can look into another's heart and see if he really 
believe. Only "the Lord Jcnoweth them that are His/' 2 Tim. 2, 19. 
And the Lord Jesus says: "The kingdom of God" (the Church) 
"cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! 
or, Lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you' — 
alone by faith, which dwells within, in the heart, and which none 



202 

but the Lord can positively know, do ye belong to the kingdom 
of God, to the Church, Luke 17, 20. 21. Thus the Church is in- 
deed invisible; men cannot see and know for certain who belongs 
to the Church. And thus we are compelled to say: "I believe in 
the holy Christian Church." 

Yes, we should say: "I believe in the holy Christian Church." 
For, in the second place — that the Holy Ghost does, by the Gos- 
pel, at all times gather and preserve a Church, a congregation of 
believers, who are sanctified by faith, of this we are assured by 
Scripture. There is always a church on earth. There is always 
a band of believers. The Lord Jesus says: "Upon this rock" 
(He means Himself) "I will build my Church; and the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against it," Matt. 16, 18. Even though hell 
open its gates and send forth all its hosts to destroy the Church, 
yet shall it not prevail. The Holy Ghost will evermore, as I have 
said, gather and preserve, by the Gospel, a congregation of believers. 
God says: "As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, 
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it 
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread 
to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my 
mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish 
that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I 
sent it" — that is, it shall gather and preserve a church, a con- 
gregation of believers, Is. 55, 10. 11. And hence we should always 
say joyfully and confidently: "I believe in the holy Christian 
Church." 

"I believe in the" (in one) "holy Christian Church," we 
should say. For all believers in all the world are, as you know, 
the one spiritual body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only 
Head of this His body, that is, of His Church. It says in the 
Scriptures: "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are 
called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one bap- 
tism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, 
and in you all," Eph. 4, 4 — 6. Hence there is, in truth and in the 
sight of God, but one holy Christian Church. By the one true faith, 
which is in the heart, all believers on earth are united with Christ, 
the Head, and are also united with one another, as the members of 
one body. I therefore repeat: There is in truth only one Church. 

"I believe in the holy Christian Church," we say in the Creed. 
This does not require much explaining. The foregoing chapter 



203 

and the beginning of the present one enable yon to understand this. 
The Church is called holy because it is the communion of saints 
(holy people). All the members of the Church are sanctified by 
faith in Christ. All the members of the Church have by faith 
accepted the great gift of God ? s grace : the Lord Jesus Christ with 
all His righteousness and holiness, with all His merit and salva- 
tion. And thus the righteousness and holiness, and the merit and 
salvation, of the Lord Jesus Christ is their own. God imputes to 
believers the righteousness and holiness and the merit of the Lord 
Jesus Christ as if it were their own, and He appropriates unto them 
the salvation which Christ has achieved. And thus through faith 
in Christ they are sanctified, they are saints. And since all the 
members of the Church are believers, all the members of the Church 
are sanctified through faith, and are saints. And thus the Church 
is "holy," a holy congregation. The Bible says : "Christ also loved 
the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and 
cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word" (baptism), "that 
He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, 
or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without 
blemish," Eph. 5, 25 — 27. And this Church, which is thus sancti- 
fied by faith in Christ, also serves God with holy works; all the 
members of the Church, all believers, do that, as you likewise learned 
in the foregoing chapter. They sanctify themselves, they "offer up 
spiritual sacrifices," they do the works of childlike obedience. And 
also for this reason the Church is called "holy." The Bible says : 
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy 
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by 
Jesus Christ," 1 Pet. 2, 5. — Yes, "I believe in the holy Christian 
Church." 

And "I believe in a holy Christian Church." The Church is 
built on Christ, as its sole foundation; therefore it is called 
"Christian." The Bible says : "Other foundation can no man lay 
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. 3, 11. And : "In 
whom (Christ) all the building fitly framed together groweth unto 
a holy temple in the Lord," Eph. 2, 21. 

Now you understand the words : "I believe in the holy Chris- 
tian Church, the communion of saints." 



204 

And now, my dear reader, yon wish to be in tonch with this 
one holy Christian Chnrch, which is the communion of saints, and 
have close commnnion with her — do you not ? You already belong 
to her, you know; you are already one of her members through 
faith in your Savior Jesus Christ. And now you have a desire to 
be where your brothers and sisters are in the faith, at least you 
desire to be where some of them are, and to use, together with them 
and in communion with them, the holy, faith-giving, and saving 
Word of God, and to praise and give glory to God, and to serve 
Him, and, finally, await the hour in which you shall depart this 
world and be translated into the Kingdom of Glory. — I hope these 
words express the sentiments of your own heart. 

I therefore now ask this question: Where is this one holy 
Christian Church, which is the communion of saints, to be found? 

And I make this reply: This one holy Christian Church, 
which is the communion of saints, is to be found wherever the 
Gospel of the Savior Jesus Christ is in use, that is, wherever it is 
used, wherever it is preached, taught, heard, learned, received, and 
confessed. For wherever the Gospel is thus in use, it does not fail 
to bear some fruit; on the contrary, men thereby are called, 
gathered, enlightened, sanctified, and kept with Jesus Christ in the 
one true faith — in 'every such place is the one holy Christian 
Church, the communion of saints. Do not misunderstand me. 
The one holy Christian Church, which is the communion of saints, 
is scattered over all the earth; but wherever the Gospel is in use, 
in every such place there most surely is a portion of the Church, 
in every such place there certainly are at least some who believe 
and are sanctified by faith; for the Gospel never fails to bear 
fruit wherever it is used, but always begets faith in some, and 
keeps them therein. To prove this statement, I refer to the word 
and promise of God which you just met with, in this chapter. 
God says thus: "As the rain cometh down, and the snow from 
heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and 
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, 
and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out 
of my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accom- 
plish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto 
I sent it," Is. 55, 10. 11. 

Hence if you wish to be in touch with the one holy Christian 
Church, which is the communion of saints, and to be where your 



205 

brethren and sisters are in the faith, then adhere to a company 
of people among whom the Gospel is in use and who profess the 
Christian faith. There are sure to be some people there who be- 
lieve and are sanctified by faith; there yon will find the one holy 
Christian Church, which is the commnnion of saints. — I believe 
you understand that. 

And a company of snch people — people among whom the 
Gospel is in nse and who profess the Christian faith — snch a 
company yon can find. For snch a company is not invisible bnt 
visible. 

Eemember: The company of those among whom the Gospel 
is in nse and who profess the Christian faith is called the visible 
Church. 

"Visible" this company is called because it can be seen. 

And "Church" this company is called because the Church, 
the true Church, the one holy Christian Church, the communion 
of saints, is found therein, in this company. 

Understand me: In the visible Church is sure to be the 
invisible Church, the true Church, the congregation of believers, 
the one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. Why? 
Because in the visible Church the Gospel is in use, and the Gospel 
never fails to bear fruit. 

But in the visible Church, beside the true Christians and 
saints, there are also false Christians and saints, Christians and 
saints falsely so called, hypocrites and ungodly people. In the 
visible Church there are many who merely participate in the use 
of the Gospel without experiencing the power of God which is in 
the Gospel; in the visible Church many join in professing the 
Christian faith without really having this faith in their hearts. 

To sum up what has been said: What is the visible Church? 
— The visible Church is the whole number of those who profess 
the Christian faith and are gathered about God's Word, but among 
whom, beside the true Christians, there are also hypocrites. 

Also the Bible, the Word of God, calls every such company of 
people as professes the Christian faith and is gathered about God's 
Word — the Bible calls every such company "church/ 7 It does 
that each and every time it speaks of such a company. Although 
God knows better than we do that in every such company there 
are also hypocrites and ungodly people, yet He adorns and honors 
the whole company with the high and noble name of "church," 



206 

and bestows upon it all the honors and privileges which none but 
true Christians and children of God are entitled to. Why does 
God do that? Because in every such company the true Church, 
a congregation of believers, is contained and lies hidden. These 
alone God considers; the hypocrites and ungodly He takes in the 
bargain, as it were; and He will manage to do away with them 
if they refuse to repent. — God does in such a case just as a gold- 
seeker does. When a goldseeker finds a piece of quartz, 1 ) he cries : 
"Gold ! Gold !" And he takes up the quartz rejoicing, because 
he knows there is gold in it. But at length he purifies the gold 
of the quartz and throws the quartz away. Even so in the Bible 
the companies of those who profess the Christian faith and are 
gathered about God's Word are everywhere called "churches," 
despite the fact that in every such company there were also hypo- 
crites and ungodly people, and oftentimes not a few. Out of a 
hundred instances take but one. St. Paul begins his First Epistle 
to the Corinthians thus : "Paul . . . unto the Church of God 
which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. . . . 
Or ace be unto you!" 1 Cor. 1, 1 — 3. 

That there are hypocrites and ungodly people among those 
who profess the Christian faith and are gathered about God's 
Word, this the Bible teaches expressly and most emphatically. 
Hence you must not marvel at it nor be offended thereat. Among 
the twelve Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ was Judas, the traitor. 
And the Lord Jesus says : "The kingdom of heaven" (the Church) 
"is likened" (is similar in outward appearance) "unto a man 
which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his 
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then 
appeared the tares also." This parable the Lord Jesus explains as 
follows: "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man" (the 
Lord Jesus) ; "the field is the world; the good seed are the chil- 
dren of the kingdom" (the true believers) ; "but the tares are 
the children of the wicked one" (the hypocrites and ungodly). 
"The enemy that sowed them is the Devil," Matt. 13, 24 — 26. 
37 — 39. "Again," the Lord Jesus says, "the kingdom of heaven 
is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every 
kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down 



1) Quartz is the worthless substance in which the gold is concealed. 



207 

and gathered the good (fish) into vessels, but cast the bad away. 
So shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall come forth, 
and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into 
the furnace of fire : there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth," 
Matt. 13, 47 — 50. And in many other places in the Bible you 
may find this selfsame doctrine. 

However, in spite of the fact that among the company, and 
among the various companies, of those who profess the Christian 
faith and are gathered about God's Word there are also hypocrites 
and ungodly people, you still should adhere to such a company; 
for there is where you find the true Church, the true believers 
and children of God, with whom you desire communion and whom 
you desire to be with. Furthermore, like all the children of God, 
you both should and would habitually hear the preaching of God's 
Word; and the preaching of God's Word you will meet with in 
such a company or church. Lastly, you both should and would 
openly confess your faith in your Savior. For the Lord Jesus says : 
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I con- 
fess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever 
shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father 
which is in heaven," Matt. 10, 32. 33. Now, would it not be a 
denial of your faith in your Savior, if you were to stand aloof 
from those who profess the Christian faith? if you were to be 
ashamed of their company? 



But now the question arises: To which church, to which of 
these companies of men who profess the Christian faith and are 
gathered about God's Word, ought you to belong? 

For, my dear reader, I can not and dare not keep you in 
ignorance of the fact that in the Church, in the visible Church, 
sad to say, things are not as they ought to be. 

Not only are there hypocrites and ungodly people in every 
visible Church, as I have already shown. And oftentimes these 
hypocrites and ungodly people even enjoy great distinction, and 
wield great power and influence, and hold offices and posts of honor 
in the Church. This is very sad. But not only that. In many, 
yea, in most visible churches we find a falsified confession of the 
Christian doctrine; and the Word of God about which people are 
gathered in such churches is not preached in its truth and purity, 



208 

as it is found in the Bible, but it is falsified. In some churches 
the Word of God is very badly, yea, horribly falsified. In some 
it is not so badly falsified, but still it is falsified. All these churches 
in which a falsified confession of the Christian faith is found and 
in which the Word of God is not preached in its truth and purity 
but is falsified, all these churches are called heterodox churches, 
churches that have false doctrines concerning the Christian faith. 

My dear child, marvel not that there are so many heterodox 
churches, much less let this shake your faith. Behold, the Devil 
cannot bear the Word of God, for it is the power of God unto 
salvation to every one that believeth. And for this reason he seeks 
to falsify it. And he succeeds in doing so. He sends false 
teachers, false preachers, false prophets, into the Christian churches, 
and they falsify the Word of God. These false teachers and 
preachers and prophets often have a saintly appearance and pose 
as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, but in reality they are serv- 
ants of Satan and like unto counterfeiters. They are wolves in 
sheep's clothing. Yea, so great is the Devil's cunning and power, 
that teachers who really are believing Christians, yet, in ignorance 
and blindness, preach false doctrine. And in this manner the 
Christian churches are spoiled. The people adhere to false teachers 
and false teachings. The churches are heterodox. I repeat: 
Marvel not at this and let it not shake your faith. If you consider 
the thing aright, you will have to admit that it is quite natural 
for things to be thus. The Devil could not be what he is : the 
enemy of God and mankind, and he could not have any power on 
earth, if things were otherwise. 

However, there is at the present time also an orthodox church 
on earth. The orthodox church is that visible church, that com- 
pany of men, or, let me say : the whole number of those who have, 
teach, and confess the Word of God in its truth and purity 
throughout. This orthodox church is always small: but it is the 
true visible church; for it is governed in its doctrine, faith, and 
confession by the Word of God and by the Word of God alone. 
Thus God would have it. For the Lord Jesus said to His disciples : 
"Teaching them" (the nations) "to observe all things whatsoever 
I have commanded you/' Matt. 28, 20. Thus He would have His 
Church hold to the true doctrine, to the true faith, to the true 
confession in every point. 

Xow I ask again : To which church, to which of these com- 



209 

parries of men who profess the Christian faith and are gathered 
about God's Word, ought you to belong? 

And the answer — you surely cannot be in doubt as to that. 
The answer is : You ought not belong to a heterodox church, but 
to the orthodox church. 

Behold how the Word of God warns us against false teachers, 
false preachers, false prophets, and their followers, — how it warns 
us, therefore, against heterodox churches. The Lord Jesus says: 
"Beware of false prophets, which come unto you in sheep's cloth- 
ing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves," Matt. 7, 15. St. John 
the Apostle writes by the Holy Spirit : "Beloved, believe not every 
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many 
false prophets are gone out into the world," 1 John 4, 1. And the 
Apostle Paul exhorts by the Holy Ghost : "I beseech you, brethren, 
mark them which cause divisions" (discord and dissensions) "and 
offenses" (pernicious seductions) "contrary to the doctrine which 
ye have learned, and avoid them," Eom. 16, 17. 

And now behold how the Word of God exhorts you to abide 
by the true doctrine, the true Word, the true faith, and the true 
confession, how it thus exhorts you to abide with the orthodox 
church. The Lord Jesus says : "If ye continue in my word, then 
are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the 
truth shall make you free," John 8, 31. 32. Even though we have 
to suffer reproach and mockery and persecution for it, yet should 
we abide there and with that church where the Word of Jesus 
and of God is taught, preached, believed, and confessed in its 
truth and purity; and we should not be ashamed thereof. For 
the Lord Jesus says : "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of 
my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall 
come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy 
angels," Luke 9, 26. 

All false churches, then, you should avoid, and you should 
adhere to the orthodox church. Therefore open your eyes and 
prove the churches and see which churches are heterodox and which 
is the orthodox church. And do not be deceived by names or ap- 
pearances, but examine the churches in the light of God's Word, 
into which this book is introducing you. 

Now, perhaps it occurs to you to ask this question : Do you 

think that all people will be lost and be damned who belong to 

heterodox churches? 
14 



210 

I reply: No. I have no such thought. People who belong 
to heterodox churches will by no means all be lost and be damned. 
As in the heterodox churches there is still some portion of the 
divine seed, that is, of the Word of God, so there still is in the 
heterodox churches some divine fruit, that is, believing Christians 
and beloved children of God. 

"But," you proceed to ask, "why do these believing Christians 
and beloved children of God remain in heterodox churches when 
God's Word says they shall avoid heterodox churches and adhere 
to the orthodox church? 

I reply : Because they are ignorant and lack that clearness of 
knowledge which is necessary to a proper understanding of the 
matter. Either they do not know the false doctrines taught in 
their churches to be false, or if they do know that false doctrines 
are taught in the church bodies to which they belong, yet they do 
not understand that God in His Word expressly commands them 
to come out of such churches and be separate from them and avoid 
them. And God in His great mercy forgives these believing Chris- 
tians and beloved children of God who are and remain in heterodox 
churches — God in His great mercy forgives them this their 
weakness. 

But two things I would not leave unsaid ! First : If these 
believing Christians and beloved children of God who are found 
in heterodox churches truly understood the matter, if they truly 
understood that false doctrine is taught in their churches and that 
God commands them to avoid such churches — if they truty under- 
stood that, they would no longer remain in heterodox churches. 
And secondly: If any man who truly understands the matter, if 
any man who truly understands that in his church false doctrine 
is taught and that God forbids men to belong to such a church — 
if such a man nevertheless goes to a heterodox church, or remains 
in such a church — that man is not a believing Christian and be- 
loved child of God, but he is a person that knowingly and willfully 
disobeys God; and such a man cannot comfort himself with the 
grace of God and the forgiveness of his sins. 

My child, learn and know the divine and saving truth in all 
its parts. Avoid heterodox churches. Adhere to the orthodox 
church. Assist with all your powers in maintaining and spreading 
the orthodox church. Above all, be careful to be and remain a 
member of the invisible one holy Christian Church, that is, be 



211 

careful to be and remain a real believing Christian and beloved 
child of God. As it is written: "Examine yourselves, whether ye 
be in faith; prove your own selves/' 2 Cor. 13, 5. 

This is, in brief, the doctrine of the Bible concerning the 
Church, concerning the congregation, or company, of believing 
Christians and beloved children of God. 

Come, Holy Spirit, God and Lord! 
Be all Thy graces now outpoured 
On each believer's mind and heart; 
Thy fervent love to them impart. 
Lord, by the brightness of Thy light 
Thou in the faith dost men unite 
Of every tongue and every nation; 
We, therefore, sing with exultation: 
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 

Thou holy Light, our Guide divine, 
cause the Word of life to shine; 
Teach us to know our God aright, 
And call Him Father with delight; 
From error, Lord, our souls defend, 
That they on Christ alone attend, 
In Him with living faith abiding, 
In Him with all their might confiding. 
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Of the Forgiveness of Sins. 

The third point of the Third Article treats of the Forgiveness 
of Sins. It reads : "I believe in the forgiveness of sins." 

This point, of the Forgiveness of Sins, is the chief article of 
the Christian doctrine. 

"I believe in the forgiveness of sins." 

All the wrath of God, all the misery, all the death, all the 
damnation, which came upon all the world and upon yon — all 
this came because of sin. And now you can, may, and should say : 
I believe in the forgiveness of sins. On the authority of the Scrip- 
tures, on the authority of God's own Word, you can, may, and 
should believe and be quite certain that God forgives you all your 
sins, yes, forgives them, pardons them, remits them, no longer 
imputes them, no longer charges them, no longer remembers them, 



212 

no longer is angry with yon, no longer punishes yon, no longer 
condemns yon, for their sake. From the Scriptures yon are to 
learn to speak thns: "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, 
Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that 
Thou mayest be feared," Ps. 130, 3. 4. And: "Bless the Lord, 
my soul, and forget not all His benefits : who forgiveth all thine 
iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases," Ps. 103, 2. 3. 

Dr. Luther in his Catechism teaches you to say: "In which 
Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to me and 
all believers/' This is what men have in the Christian Church, 
this is what all those have who believe in Jesus Christ: G-od for- 
gives all sins unto them daily and richly. Blessed are the Chris- 
tians ! Blessed are the believers ! 

The forgiveness of sins is also called Justification. 

"Just" means righteous; "to justify" means to make righteous. 

God justifies us sinners, God makes us sinners righteous, in 
this manner : He forgives us our sins. God imputes to us sinners 
a perfect righteousness, declares us righteous, makes us righteous, 
justifies us, in this manner: He forgives us our sins, does not 
impute our sins to us. "Even as David also describeth the blessed- 
ness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without 
works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and 
whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will 
not impute sin," Bom. 4, 6 — 8. 

Yes, that is the manner in which God makes us sinners 
righteous, justifies us. And who shall then lay our sins to our 
charge? "It is God that justifteth" Eom. 8, 33. Who shall then 
exalt himself above God, who shall interfere with God's judgment 
and condemn us because of our sins which God has forgiven? 



What is the cause that moves God to forgive us our 
sins and justify us? 

This question I shall now answer. 

Not anything that is in us, not any quality, merit, excellence, 
about us or in us ; not any conduct, doing, work, of ours ; nothing 
that is in us is the cause, or a cause, that moves God to forgive us 
our sins and so to justify us. 

Everything that God's Law requires of us : how we should be, 
what we should do, and what we should not do — the Bible calls 



213 

all this "work/' "the works of the Law." Well, such work, the 
works of the Law, is not a cause that moves God to justify us. 

The Bible teaches that expressly. It teaches us to say : "There- 
fore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the 
deeds of the Law," Eom. 3, 28. It says : "For there is no difference : 
for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being 
justified freely" Eom. 3, 23. 24. Yea, it says that God justifies 
"the ungodly" Eom. 4, 5. 

The cause that moves God to justify us is solely His grace. 

The Bible says: "For there is no difference: for all have 
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely 
by His grace" Eom. 3, 23. 24. 

Now this grace of God "came by Jesus Christ" John 1, 17. 
Jesus Christ, our Substitute and Eedeemer, acquired the grace of 
God for us. Thus the grace of God which came by Jesus 
Christ is the cause that moves God to forgive us our sins and 
justify us. 

The Bible says: "For there is no difference: for all have 
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely 
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," 
Eom. 3, 23. 24. 

Other cause that moves God to forgive us our sins and justify 

us there is none, neither in heaven nor on earth, neither in time 

nor in eternity. 

* * * 

how do we become partakers of the forgiveness of 
sins, or of justification? 

Solely by faith. 

The Bible teaches us to say: "Therefore we conclude that 
a man is justified by faith" Eom. 3, 28. It says: "For there is 
no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory 
of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemp- 
tion that is in Christ Jesus : whom God hath set forth to be a 
propitiation through faith in His blood," Eom. 3, 23 — 25. God 
has set Christ forth in His blood, which was shed for us to be 
a propitiation, to be a covering for our sin — and through faith 
we become partakers of this covering, this forgiveness of our sins. 

What does that mean? 

This I shall now explain and set forth in due order, out of 
the Bible. 



214 

But now pay strict attention. 

Eph. 1, 7 it says : "In whom ( Jesus Christ) we have redemp- 
tion through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the 
riches of His grace." — Here you see that the redemption which 
is through the blood of Jesus Christ, is, at the same time, the 
forgiveness of sins, that, when we were redeemed through the blood 
of Christ, there was, at the same time and by that same act, given 
us the forgiveness of sins. To be sure ! Whoso is redeemed from 
his sins, to him his sins are forgiven. Could it be otherwise? 
Could we say: We are, indeed, redeemed from our sins, but our 
sins are not forgiven us? That would amount to nothing. 

2 Cor. 5, 19 it says: "God was in Christ, reconciling the 
world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" 
(unto the world). — From this you see that the reconciliation 
effected by Christ does, in itself, amount to this, that G-od no 
longer imputes trespasses, but forgives them, that to the world, 
which is reconciled unto God through Christ, sin is no longer 
imputed, but forgiven. To be sure ! If the world is reconciled 
to God, God no longer imputes to the world its trespasses, but 
forgives them. Could it be otherwise? Could we say: God is 
reconciled to the world, indeed, but, nevertheless, He still imputes 
to the world its trespasses ? That would amount to nothing. — 

Therefore it says Rom. 5, 18: "As by the offense of one 
(Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so 
by the righteousness of One (Christ) the free gift came upon all 
men unto justification of life." — Here you have it. The right- 
eousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, by His doing and suffering, 
He fulfilled the Law for all men, this is, at the same time, the 
righteousness, the forgiveness of sins, the justification of all men; 
since the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ belongs to all 
men, it follows that justification belongs to all men — and that 
unto life and salvation. To be sure! Since the righteousness of 
the Lord Jesus Christ belongs to all men, it follows that justifica- 
tion and salvation belong to all men. Could it be otherwise? 
Could we say: The righteousness, indeed, of the Lord Jesus 
Christ belongs to all men, but justification, forgiveness of sins, 
and salvation, does not belong to all men? That would amount 
to nothing. 

Therefore it says 1 Cor. 1, 30: "Who (Christ) of God is 
made unto us . . . right eo'iisness." — Here you see : Our righteous- 



215 

ness, our justification, the forgiveness of our sins, has been accom- 
plished this long time, and been on hand; Christ is our Bight- 
eousness, our Justification, the Forgiveness of our sins. God has 
made Him such. Hence you need not, no man need contribute 
anything to accomplish justification, the forgiveness of sins. The 
forgiveness of sins is accomplished and on hand, has been this 
long time. Behold Christ: there is the forgiveness of sins and 
the justification, both of yourself and of the whole world. 

Are you paying attention? 

Are you thinking? 

Now let us proceed. 

2 Cor. 5, 19 it says : "God was in Christ, reconciling the 
world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; 
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation/' — So 
after God had shown the great mercy of redeeming the world 
through Christ and forgiving their trespasses unto them, of recon- 
ciling the world unto Himself and no longer imputing their tres- 
passes unto them, of bringing the free gift upon all men unto 
justification of life through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus 
Christ achieved for all men, yea, of making Christ our righteous- 
ness — He committed unto us the Word of this redemption and 
forgiveness of sins, of this reconciliation and non-imputation of 
trespasses, of this free gift come upon all men unto justification of 
life, of Christ, our Bighteousness ; to-wit: the Gospel. 

And this Word, this Gospel, you must so understand that 
therein and thereby there is, in the first place, revealed the right- 
eousness of God, 1 ) that is, the aforesaid forgiveness of sins and 
free gift unto justification of life which came upon all men. And 
in the second place, by this Word, by this Gospel, there is given 
and oestoived with divine power and validity this righteousness 
of God, that is, this forgiveness of sins and free gift unto justifi- 
cation of life, which came upon all men. For Scripture says, in 
the first place, that "therein is the righteousness of God revealed'' 
and, in the second place, that "it is the power of God unto salva- 
tion," Bom. 1, 16. 17. 

This Word and Gospel, then, is like a note that is given you, 
a note, say, for a thousand dollars. By means of such note you 



1 ) The righteousness of God = the righteousness that avails in God's 
sight. 



216 

are, in the first place, told that one thousand dollars are yours, 
and in the second place, the sum of one thousand dollars is actually, 
effectually, and validly given you, so that, having the note,- you also 
have the one thousand dollars. Just so the Gospel tells you that 
the forgiveness of sins and justification has been acquired for you 
and for all men, and just so the Gospel furthermore actually gives 
and bestoivs upon you the forgiveness of sins and justification, and 
that with divine power and divine validity. 

If, therefore, you have the Gospel, you therewith and thereby 
and therein also have the forgiveness of sins and justification, or 
in other words : you therewith and thereby and therein have Christ, 
our Righteousness. Hence, when the Bible would tell us how we 
obtain Christ, our Eighteousness, it says thus: "Say not in thine 
heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ 
down from above). Or, who shall descend into the deep? (that 
is, to bring up Christ from the dead). . . . The Word is nigh thee, 
even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the Word of faith 
which we preach," Rom. 10, 6 — 8. 

And if you receive, if you rely upon, if you believe in this 
Word and the forgiveness of sins and justification revealed and 
given and conferred upon you in this Word — you are a partaker 
of the forgiveness of sins and justification. 

In what other way could you become a partaker of the for- 
giveness of sins or justification, in what other way than this : by 
faith alone ? Give the matter a little thought. You shall not and 
cannot be justified by any work, doing, or conduct of yours. The 
forgiveness of sins and justification has been procured for you by 
Christ and has been on hand for you in Christ this long time. By 
the Gospel it is constantly being revealed and offered and given 
to and bestowed upon you. Hence to actually have it and be in 
possession of it, you merely need to accept it, you merely need to 
believe. That surely is plain. You merely need to believe for 
your own self in the great judgment of God whereby He has, in 
Christ and for Christ's sake, declared the whole ungodly world 
righteous, and forgiven their trespasses unto them. This gracious 
judgment of God is constantly sounded into your ear and heart. 
Believe in that judgment ! Believe what God says ! Then you 
will have the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of God, that is, 
the righteousness which avails in God's sight. This your faith, 
this thing which you accept by faith, God counts unto you for 



217 

righteousness. Wherefore the Holy Spirit says: "To him that 
worketh not/' that is, that does not think that he must, by any 
work, or doing, or conduct of his, obtain the forgiveness of sins, 
or justification, "but belie veth on Him that justifieth the un- 
godly," that is, believes the word and declaration of God that He 
has pronounced this whole world of ungodly people righteous in 
Christ, "to him his faith is counted for righteousness," that is, 
he has and possesses, by this faith, the righteousness of God, 
Rom. 4, 5. 

He that does not believe, he that rejects Christ, he that de- 
spises the gracious judgment of God, who has declared the ungodly 
righteous, he, indeed, has no forgiveness for his sins, no justifica- 
tion; and if he continues in such unbelief, he will be lost. 

Believe ! Take hold ! Rejoice ! 



And you can and should be altogether sure of the forgive- 
ness of your sins and your justification, with full and undoubting 
assurance. This you could not be if the forgiveness of your sins 
and your' justification were dependent upon, and conditioned by, 
anything that is in you, any quality, merit, excellence, about you 
or in you, any conduct, action, or work of yours. In that case you 
would always have to be in doubt and say: Am I really in a 
proper condition to be entitled to the forgiveness of sins? But 
now, as you have clearly seen from the Word of God, the forgive- 
ness of your sins is not conditioned by anything that is in you; 
the forgiveness of your sins and your justification is imparted to 
you solely by grace, for Christ's sake, without any condition to be 
fulfilled by you; yea, it is finished and ready and on hand for 
you, has been this long time; for in Christ it long since came 
upon all the world, by the Gospel it is constantly offered and given 
and bestowed upon you: you are merely to accept it, you are 
merely to believe that this is so, you are to believe God, who says 
that this is so. And here no sin is excepted, not even the most 
horrible sin there is. — Where, then, is there room for any doubt, 
for any uncertainty? Nay. You can and should be altogether 
sure of the forgiveness of your sins and your justification, with 
full and undoubting assurance. I repeat, therefore: Believe! 
Take hold ! Rejoice ! And I say : Believe, avail yourself, rejoice, 



218 



even though you be the wickedest man in the world! And then, 
then, when thus yon are sure of the forgiveness of your sins and 
your justification, you will struggle against sin and lead a godly 
life. For such is the fruit of faith and the certainty thereof. 



Moreover, you can and should be altogether sure, assured be- 
yond the shadow of a doubt, that you will die in the forgiveness 
of your sins, that you will die a Christian justified by faith, and 
be saved; in other words, that you will endure in justifying 

AND SAVING FAITH UNTO THE END. 

What? Even that? 

Yes, even that. 

True, the Devil, the world, and your own flesh and blood are 
bent upon making you fall from faith. And true, you, in yourself, 
are much too weak to resist such foes and endure in faith. 

But look up to God and mark the promise He makes you 
in His Word. 

God has His Apostle write thus to Christians: "Ye are kept 
by the power of God through faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. 1, 5. 
And: "Who shall also confirm you unto the end," 1 Cor. 1, 8. 
And: "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath 
begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus 
Christ," Phil. 1, 6. And: "The Lord is faithful, who shall stab- 
lish you and keep you from evil," 2 Thess. 3, 3. And the Lord 
Jesus Himself says of His sheep, that is, of all who believe in 
Him : "I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, 
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand," John 10, 28» 

Are not these divine promises enough to make you altogether 
sure that you will endure in justifying and saving faith unto 
the end? 

Therefore believe these promises of God and say with St. Paul : 
"I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able 
to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day," 
2 Tim. 1, 12. And : "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, 
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor 
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ 
Jesus, our Lord," Eom. 8, 38. 39. 

Thou merciful God ! Out of pure grace, for Christ's sake. 



219 

Thou dost give unto me the forgiveness of all my sins. I am 
merely to accept it, merely to believe it. And Thou dost promise 
to keep me in such saving faith unto the end. Thou merci- 
ful God ! 

God the Father, who didst place 

My sin and shame on Jesus; 

Thou, God the Son, whose love and grace 

My burdened soul releases; 

Thou, Holy Ghost, who quicken'st me 

Unto all good, I pray let me 

Be to the end abiding. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Of the Resurrection of the Body and the Life 
Everlasting. 

The fourth point of the Third Article treats of the Resurrec- 
tion of the Body. It reads: "I believe in the resurrection of 
the body." 

The Bible, the Word of God, teaches that at the last day, 
when the Lord Jesus Christ will come to judge the quick and the 
dead, God will raise up all the dead, so that their bodies, the same 
bodies that have died, will again be made alive. 

The Bible teaches this, the Word of God. And the children 
of God believe this. Our depraved reason cannot comprehend this 
doctrine. "What!" it exclaims, "our bodies that have died and 
returned to dust and ashes and mingled with other creatures, with 
grasses and herbs and trees and animals, these shall again be made 
alive and shall rise ? That is impossible !" Thus says our depraved 
reason. But our faith says : "With God nothing shall be impossible. 
And the Word of the Lord is right. I believe in the resurrection 
of the body." 

And the Bible, the Word of God, is full of promises that our 
bodies shall rise again. I could quote hundreds of passages. Here 
is but one : "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves 
shall hear His (Christ's) voice, and shall come forth: they that 
have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation," John 5, 28. 29. 



220 

However, in the resurrection of the dead a great difference 
will be seen. This difference has already been indicated in the 
passage just quoted. This passage speaks of "the resurrection of 
life" and "the resurrection of damnation." The believers and chil- 
dren of God will rise to everlasting life, and that with glorified 
bodies. But the unbelievers will rise to damnation and everlasting 
death, that is, to everlasting shame, contempt, and torment in hell. 
The Bible says: "Many" (the multitude) "of them that sleep in 
the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some 
to shame and everlasting contempt," Dan. 12, 2. 

The believers and children of God will rise to everlasting life 
with glorified bodies. The Bible says : "Who (Christ) shall change 
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body," 
Phil. 3, 21. We children of God shall, in the Kesurrection, have 
glorified, that is, spiritual, heavenly bodies, which shall be full of 
everlasting life and heavenly power, and shall shine like the sun, 
yea, shall be like unto the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Oh, how unspeakably grand and beautiful will our bodies then be ! 
And yet they will be the same bodies that we have here, only they 
will be so utterly changed. Bead the fifteenth chapter of the First 
Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians on the resurrection of the 
believers and children of God. There you will also find that they 
who on the last day, when the Lord Jesus comes, will still be living 
shall then be changed, so that also their bodies will be glorified. 
It says : "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump," 1 Cor. 
15, 51. 52. Joyfully, therefore, and cheerfully say with Job: 
"I know that my Eedeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the 
latter day upon the earth : and though after my skin worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for my- 
self, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another," Job 19, 25 — 27. 

But the unbelievers will rise to eternal death, that is, to ever- 
lasting shame, contempt, and torment in hell. 

When the unbelievers, who have rejected Jesus and His Word, 
die, their souls will at once go to hell. The Lord Jesus says: 
"The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lifted up 
his eyes," Luke 16, 22. 23. And on the last day the unbelievers 
will rise "to shame and everlasting contempt* ' in hell, the place of 
torment. And it is written: "Their worm shall not die, neither 
shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto 



221 

all flesh/' Is. 66, 24. "These shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment/' Matt. 25, 46. The Lord Jesns says : "Wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be 
which go in thereat/' Matt. 7, 13. And He warns us not to despise 
by any means the merciful God and His Gospel. He says : "Fear 
Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell/' Matt. 
10, 28. 

And be not deceived and misled by vain words, as if beside 
heaven and hell there were another, a third, place, purgatory or the 
like, where there would still be a chance to repent. The Bible 
knows of but two places : heaven and hell. 



The fifth point of the Third Article treats of the Life Ever- 
lasting. It says: "I believe in the life everlasting/' 

What does the Bible teach about the life everlasting? It 
teaches that all believers, when they die, are, according to the soul, 
at once present with Christ, and, after the last day, shall be with 
Him, both body and soul, and live with Him in eternal joy and 
glory in heaven. 

When the believers die, they are, according to the soul, at once 
present with Christ. When Stephen, whom the Jews were stoning, 
was now about to die, he cried, being full of the Holy Ghost : "Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit !" Acts 7, 58. And to the dying thief the 
Lord Jesus said: "Verily I say unto thee, To-day thou shalt be 
with me in paradise," Luke 23, 43. And it is written: "Blessed 
are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth/' Eev. 14, 13. 

And there, in heaven, in paradise, in the presence of Christ, 
time will not seem burdensome to your soul. For, in the first place, 
you will be infinitely happy there. And, in the second place, there 
is no time in heaven. Thus from your death to your resurrection 
on the last day it will be to you but a blissful moment. 

And after the last day all believers will, both in body and soul, 
be present with Christ and live with Him in eternal joy and glory 
in heaven. St. Peter writes : "We, according to His promise, look 
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," 
2 Pet. 3, 13. See Is. 65, 17; 66, 22; Eev. 21, 1. There all be- 
lievers will be with Christ forever and will see Him and be like 
Him, that is, the image of God, which was lost through sin, will 



222 

be perfectly restored in them. The Apostle writes: "Beloved, 
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we 
shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be 
like Him; for we shall see Him as He is," 1 John 3, 2. And there 
we shall have eternal joy and glory. David writes by the Holy 
Spirit: "In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand 
there are pleasures for evermore," Ps. 16, 11. Oh, we can neither 
tell nor conceive what we shall have there ! St. Paul writes : 
"I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us," 
Eom. 8, 18. 

That is what the Lord Jesus means when He says of His 
sheep: "I give unto them eternal life," John 10, 28. 



This eternal life will be given to all believers, but to believers 
only, to such as shall, at the end of their life, be found to be in 
faith. The Lord Jesus says: "God so loved the world that He 
gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3, 16. And He 
says : "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : and 
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of 
God abideth on him," John 3, 36. And He says : "He that shall 
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved," Matt. 24, 13. 

Now, are you sure that you also will enter into eternal life? 

My Christian friend, I have already shown you from the 
Word of God that God has promised to keep you in the faith unto 
the end. 

But hearken ! I will tell you one thing more from the Word 
of God. It is this: As God has, in this your time, called you by 
the Gospel, enlightened, sanctified, and kept you in the faith, even 
so — mark this well ! — even so He has from eternity chosen you 
and predestinated (foreordained) you unto the adoption of chil- 
dren and unto life everlasting, and no man shall pluck you out of 
His hand. 

Consider: That God has called us by the Gospel and en- 
lightened us, and thus made us believers, and converted and re- 
generated us, that, furthermore, He has, by the Gospel, sanctified 
and kept us, and is willing to keep us still in true faith — that is 



223 

all His grace, His doing. Now, to do this unto us, unto this very- 
thing He has from eternity chosen and predestinated us by grace, 
for Christ our Lord's sake. What God does for us in time, He 
has purposed to do from eternity. And this His purpose of grace, 
this His election of grace, this His gracious predestination, cannot 
fail. If you perceive that God has in time called and enlightened 
and sanctified, and kept you, and is willing to keep you still in 
true faith, you also perceive that He has from eternity chosen you 
unto the adoption of children and unto eternal life. And thus 
you are doubly and entirely sure that you will enter into eternal life. 

Believe the Bible that such is the truth. The Bible says: 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 
Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foun- 
dation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame 
before Him in love : having predestinated us unto the adoption 
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good 
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, 
wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved," Eph. 1, 3 — 6. 
And the Bible says: "We know that all things work together for 
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according 
to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did pre- 
destinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might 
be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover whom He did 
predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He 
also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified'' 
Bom. 8, 28—30. 

With the children of God all is grace, pure, glorious, sure, 
divine grace; this reigns over them from eternity, throughout 
time unto eternity. 

But do not presume to think that God has passed the other 
people, them that perish — that God has passed them by with His 
grace and been unconcerned about them. Far from it. You have 
learned from the Word of God that God is not willing that any 
should perish, but that all should come to repentance; that the 
Lord Jesus would gather all together, even as a hen gathereth her 
chickens under her wings; that the Holy Ghost calls all men by 
the Word and would convert them. But many "would not." 
And thus these are lost through their own fault. 



224 



But as for thee, thou child of God, be full of joy and good 
cheer, and walk in God's ways and rejoice, looking forward to the 
life everlasting. 

O Land of pure delight, 

Of bliss and triumph bright! 

Here's naught but joyful singing, 

Here's naught but gladsome springing. 

Here is no woe, no smarting, 

No death, no bitter parting. 

Hold on, my feeble mind! 
Hold on, what wilt thou find? 
Wilt fathom where no ground is ? 
Wilt measure where no bound is ? 
Forbear thy vain exploring, 
wisdom, bow adoring! 



Part Three. 



>*k< 



15 






CHAPTER I. 
Of Prayer. 

The Third Chief Part of the Catechism treats of Prayer. 

What is prayer? 

Prayer is an act of worship of the children of God wherein 
with their hearts and lips they bring their petitions before God, 
and offer np praise and thanks to Him. 

We should pray with heart and lips, not with the lips only. 
God sees our inmost heart, and wants our prayer to proceed there- 
from. And He understands every little sigh of desire and of 
praise and thanks. "Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the 
humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart, Thou wilt cause Thine 
ear to hear." So says the Holy Ghost, Ps. 10, 17. In fact, God 
knows in advance all that we are about to pray. He says : "And 
it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and 
while they are yet speaking, I will hear/' Is. 65, 21. And there- 
fore God by no means requires that we be profusely and elaborately 
wordy in our prayers. Far from that ! As a loving Father He 
will find the simple lisping of His children acceptable. The Lord 
Jesus says : "When ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen 
do : for they think that they shall be heard for their much speak- 
ing," Matt. 6, 7. 

What should induce us to pray? 

God's command and promise as well as our own and our 
neighbor's need. 

God has commanded His children to pray. This is a kind 
and gracious command. And He has promised to hear them when 
they call upon Him. This is even more kind and gracious. And 
there is so much need of body and soul on this poor earth, our 
own need as well as our neighbor's need. In such need we should 
turn to God and call upon Him, and He will hear us. He says : 
"Call upon me in the day of trouble : I will deliver thee, and thou 
shalt glorify me," Ps. 50, 15. And our Savior says : "Ask, and 
it shall be given you," Matt. 7, 7. — Does not this induce you, 
O Christian, to pray? 



228 

To whom should we pray? 

Only to the true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, since to 
Him alone such honor is due, and He alone is able and willing to 
hear our prayer. 

Can there be any question about this ? And yet, so many who 
term themselves Christians, for instance, the Eoman Catholics, 
pray to angels and to so-called "saints," that is, to dead people. 
Angels are the servants of God and can only do what God com- 
mands them, and therefore we should not pray to them but to God. 
And the "saints" know nothing of us. It is written: "Doubtless 
Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel 
acknowledge us not : Thou, Lord, art our Father, our Eedeemer ; 
Thy name is from everlasting," Is. 63, 16. "Thou shalt worship 
the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve," Matt. 4, 10. 

What should we ask of God in our prayer? 

Everything. 

The Holy Ghost says: "Be careful for nothing; but in 
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 
requests be made known unto God," Phil. 4, 6. There is no burden 
which you may not cast upon the Lord in prayer. For God is 
your Father, and you are His child. 

But what distinction "should we observe in our prayers? 

Such spiritual blessings as are necessary for our salvation 
and expressly promised to us by God, we should ask without con- 
dition. Such spiritual blessings are : God's grace, forgiveness of 
sins, God's Word and Holy Spirit, faith, preservation in faith 
unto the end. Such spiritual blessings God has promised us un- 
conditionally, and so we should ask them without condition. The- 
Lord Jesus says: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good 
gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly 
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" Luke 11, 13.. 

All other gifts we should ask with the condition that God 
would grant them unto us if they tend to His glory and our welfare. 
Would you, or would you dare to, ask for something whereby God 
would be dishonored? Would you, or would you dare to, ask for 
something that would be disastrous to you? If therefore you are 
not certain that a matter tends to the glory of God and to your 
welfare or that of your neighbor, then commit it to the will and 
guidance of God, and say : "Father, if Thou be willing — ", "Lord, 
if Thou wilt—." Luke 22, 42; Matt. 8, 2. Ought you not to- 



229 

have such confidence in your heavenly Father? You would surely 
not presume to act like a bad child that stubbornly persists in 
having its way. Think earnestly upon this matter ! 

How should we pray? 

In Jesus' name and with firm confidence. 

"In Jesus' name" means : relying upon and taking one's stand 
upon the merits of Christ in faith. This and this only gives firm 
confidence that God will hear. I will write you a little prayer 
in the name of Jesus, by which you can have firm confidence, and 
you will then easily understand what is meant. This is it : "Dear 
heavenly Father ! I am indeed a poor, miserable sinner and not 
worthy to be called Thy child. But Thy dear Son, my Savior 
Jesus Christ, has reconciled Thee unto me, and has said that I 
should ask of Thee everything, even as dear children ask their 
dear father. Therefore, my dear Father, I pray Thee that by 
Thy Word and Holy Spirit Thou wouldst keep me in the true 
faith to everlasting life. Thou wouldst also take my life and this 
poor body into Thy fatherly hands and deal with me kindly, 
lovingly, even as a dear father with his dear children. my 
Father, I know that Thou canst not and wilt not deny this to me. 
Amen." Such is the prayer of which the Lord Jesus speaks when 
He says : "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask 
the Father in my name, He will give it you," John 16, 23. And : 
"All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall 
receive," Matt. 21, 22. 

For whom should we pray? 

For ourselves and for all other men; but not for the dead. 

It certainly is clear to you that you should pray for yourself. 
But you should also pray for all other men, for you should love 
them as yourself. Therefore the Holy G-host says: "I exhort 
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, 
and giving of thanks, be made for all men," 1 Tim. 2, 1. Also 
your enemies you should love, and pray for them. The Lord Jesus 
says: "Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute 
you," Matt. 5, 44. But for the dead you should not pray, for they 
are in judgment already. If they are among the blessed, they do 
not need your prayer. If they are condemned, your prayer will 
not help them; yes, by praying for them you would dishonor God, 
the righteous Judge. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but 
after this the judgment," Hebr. 9, 27. 



230 

Where should we pray? 

Everywhere, and especially in the closet and in public worship. 

There is no place in which yon cannot speak with yonr God, 
and commune with Him. Bnt that yon might be undisturbed 
and pray without hypocritical display, do as Jesus says: "Thou, 
when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut 
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father 
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly," Matt. 6, 6. And 
when prayers are said in public worship, then take part in them 
in spirit and in truth. 

When should we pray? 

At all times, and especially in times of trouble. 

"Pray without ceasing," says the Holy Ghost, 1 Thess. 5, 17. 
If you are a child of God, there will evermore arise from your 
heart at least a sigh unto your Father who is near you. Do you 
not think so? Especially, however, in times of trouble flee unto 
your • all-powerful and gracious Father, and seek Him, and call 
upon Him. Therefore the Holy Spirit says: "Lord, in trouble 
have they visited Thee; they poured out a prayer when Thy 
chastening was upon them," Is. 26, 16. 

Let there also be some rule and method in prayer, Chris- 
tian ! Pray in the morning when you arise, and in the evening 
when you retire. Pray and give thanks when you sit down at 
meat, to God who provides all. Then you live with God as His 
child, and God will bless you. 

Whence is it that many complain of their prayers being 
unheard? 

That is their own fault, and for various reasons. It is chiefly 
because they are not, and do not want to be, God's children through 
faith in Jesus the Savior. They merely want to make use of God 
now and then to get what they want and desire from Him. But 
God does not let them make use of Him in that way. Another 
reason is, that people ask for foolish and hurtful things, or pre- 
scribe to God the time and manner when and how He should help. 
And then again the children of God, under the weight of tribula- 
tion, do not at once observe the helping hand of God, and so they 
think that God does not want to help them. 

Does, then, God really hear every proper prayer? 

Yes, most certainly, but in His own manner and at His ap- 
pointed time. 






231 

When the Apostle Paul, in a childlike and humble manner, 
thrice besought the Lord that He would take a certain heavy 
burden from him, he was answered: "My grace is sufficient for 
thee : for my strength is made perfect in weakness/ 5 2 Cor. 12, 9. 
And Paul was quite satisfied to have Jesus' grace and strength, 
and did not think that his prayer was not heard. And frequently 
the Lord says, very kindly, in answer to your prayer : "Mine hour 
is not yet come," John 2, 4. But the hour will not fail when He 
will cause us to see and to taste His mercy in gladness. 

child of God, rejoice that you have a God who is gracious 
unto you, and to whom you may pray at all times. 

Help. Helper, help in fear and need, 
Have mercy, to my prayer give heed! 
I know Thon lov'st me still as Thine, 
Though 'gainst me world and hell combine. 

My God and Lord, I trust in Thee! 
What need I if Thou art with me ? 
And Thou, Lord Jesus Christ, art mine; 
My God and Savior, I am Thine. 

Therefore my happiness is great, 
I am content, for Thee I wait, 
Trust wholly in Thy name, and when 
I pray: Help, Helper, help! Amen. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Lord's Prayer. 

Jesus, our Lord, has taught us a little prayer which for this 
reason is called "The Lord's Prayer." Surely, this must be the 
very best of prayers. You may find it Matt. 6, 9 — 13. 

The Lord's Prayer is divided into three parts: the Intro- 
duction, the Seven Petitions, and the Conclusion. 

THE INTKODUCTION. 

The introduction is : "Our Father who art in heaven." 
Here you see that God wants us to call Him our Father in 
all childlike confidence. 

To these words Dr. Luther gives the following beautiful defi- 
nition: "God would by these words tenderly invite us to believe 



_ 232 

that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so 
that we may with all boldness and confidence ask Him, as dear 
children ask their dear Father." 

THE FIRST PETITION. 

The First Petition is : "Hallowed be Thy name." 

The name by which God would be known of us is even this, 
that He is our dear Father through Jesus Christ, our Savior. 

Dr. Luther says: "God's name is indeed holy in itself; but 
we pray in this petition that it may be holy among us also." 

This, that the great God is our dear Father through Jesus 
Christ, our Savior, should be holy to us, yes, most holy of all things. 

How is this done? 

Dr. Luther answers thus : "When the Word of God is taught 
in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead a 
holy life according to it. This grant us, dear Father in heaven! 
But he that teaches and lives otherwise than God's Word teaches, 
profanes the name of God among us. From this preserve us, 
heavenly Father !" 

By no other means, but only through the Word of God do we 
know that God is our dear Father through Jesus Christ, our 
Savior. By no other means, but only through the Word of God 
does this knowledge become holy in our hearts and remain holy 
therein. Therefore we pray, first of all, in this petition, that the 
Word of God be taught in its truth and purity among us. — If 
this, however, is holy unto us, that God is our dear Father, then we, 
as the children of God, should also lead a holy life according to 
His Word. For this grace also do we, therefore, ask in this petition. 
— By false teaching and wicked living on the part of those who 
term themselves Christians the name of God is profaned and dis- 
honored. And we should pray that our heavenly Father preserve 
us from this. 

THE SECOND PETITION. 

The Second Petition is: "Thy kingdom come." 
Here is meant God's Kingdom of Grace on earth, to which 
all believers belong, and God's Kingdom of Glory, into which all 
believers enter. Blessed they who belong to God's Kingdom of 
Grace and enter into the Kingdom of Glory! 






233 

Dr. Luther says : "The kingdom of God comes indeed without 
our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may 
come unto us also." 

How is this done? 

Dr. Luther's answer is: "When our heavenly Father gives us 
His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word, 
and lead a godly life, here in time, and hereafter in eternity." 

THE THIRD PETITION. 

The Third Petition is: "Thy will be done on earth, as it is 
in heaven." 

God's good and gracious will is this, that His dear name of 
"Father" be hallowed on earth even as in heaven, and that His 
blessed kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. 

Dr. Luther says : "The good and gracious will of God is done 
indeed without our prayer; but we pray in this petition that it 
may be done among us also." 

How is this done? 

For the Devil and the wicked world and our own evil flesh, 
that is, our nature depraved by sin, — these three enemies con- 
tinually war most bitterly against the fulfillment of God's good 
and gracious will among us. 

For this reason Dr. Luther answers as follows to the question, 
How is this done? "When God breaks and hinders every evil 
counsel and will which would not let us hallow God's will nor let 
His kingdom come, such as the will of the Devil, the world, and 
our flesh; but strengthens and preserves us steadfast in His Word 
and faith unto our end. This is His gracious and good will." 

And if in carrying out His good and gracious will toward us 
God sends us crosses and tribulations, and leads us along paths 
that are grievous to flesh and blood, then we should, nevertheless, 
say prayerfully: "Thy will be done!" For the paths God leads 
us are blessed paths. 

THE FOURTH PETITION". 

The Fourth Petition is: "Give us this day our daily bread." 

Here Jesus, our Lord, manifests gracious concern for our 

bodily life, because of which so many cares beset us, and says that 

as dear children we should pray our dear heavenly Father to give 

us our daily bread and everything that belongs to the support and 



234 

wants of the body. Do yon think that our heavenly Father will 
deny His children such a petition? Certainly not. And since 
the Son of God even commands us so to pray, we are doubly 
assured that our heavenly Father will not deny us such a petition. 
Therefore we should not give ourselves over to care, but pray and 
labor according to God's will. And even as little children on 
earth do not come to their parents and ask bread for the future, 
but come every day and say : Please, let me have something to eat ! 
so should we also come each day, and say: "Give us this day our 
daily bread." And even as dear children gladly share with others 
what they have received, so should we likewise gladly help those 
who are in need. God does not only provide us for ourselves, but 
for others also. Whenever we say: "Give us this day our daily 
bread," we should include our brethren and sisters on earth. 

Some one remarks: There are so many wicked people who 
never pray and yet live in constant plenty. 

Dr. Luther says: "God gives daily bread indeed without our 
prayer, also to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition that 
He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with 
thanksgiving." 

We, the children of God, surely do not want to be ungrateful 
unbelievers, but children, and thankful children, of God, who 
always comfort themselves with the love of their heavenly Father, 
also in affairs of the body, and shall never be ashamed. We pray 
for this grace. 

What, then, is meant by daily bread? 

Dr. Luther's answer is: "Everything that belongs to the 
support and wants of the bod}^, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, 
house, home, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious 
children, pious servants, pious and faithful rulers, good govern- 
ment, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, 
faithful neighbors, and the like." 

You should pray for anything that is necessary for your daily 
bread and the wants and support of the body. 

THE FIFTH PETITION. 

The Fifth Petition is: "And forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us." 

Every day we load upon our souls great guilt and debt, and 
deserve God's punishment in time and eternity by our trespasses 









235 

and sins as God finds them in our inmost thoughts, and desires, 
and words, and deeds, and by the omission of good and the com- 
mission of evil. And daily we should pray our Father in heaven 
that He would graciously, for Christ's sake, forgive us all our 
trespasses and guilt; that He would by no means look upon the 
greatness of our sins, nor on their account turn His countenance 
from us and deny our prayer; that He would by no means deal 
with us according to our deserts; but that He would forgive, for- 
give, graciously, for Christ's sake, forgive; and that He would 
thus allow us to pray for all good things, even as dear children ask 
their dear father, and would grant them unto us. 

how timid our heart often is to offer such daily petition! 
We think it impossible that God should again and again accept our 
prayer for forgiveness, and again and again permit us to ask Him 
for all good things while we are such great sinners. But upon 
the word and command of Jesus, our Lord, we must and will 
come again and again and pray for forgiveness and for all good 
things. God be praised that such a petition is taught us in the 
Lord's Prayer ! 

But then, so the Lord Jesus teaches us, we should promise 
God that we will also forgive those who trespass against us. Since 
we can live only because God forgives us our sins, this must be 
the first point in which we become like God and obedient to Him, 
that we heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin 
against us. He that does not want to do this has no faith, but is 
a hypocrite, who has not the grace of God and the forgiveness 
of sins. 

Dr. Luther explains the Fifth Petition as follows : "We pray 
in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon 
our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are worthy 
of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved 
them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we 
daily sin much, and indeed deserve nothing but punishment: so 
will we also heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin 






THE SIXTH PETITION. 

The Sixth Petition is: "And lead us not into temptation." 
There are two kinds of temptations: temptations for good 
and temptations for evil. 



236 

The temptations for good come from God. The temptations 
for good consist in this., that God, in wise and merciful moderation, 
tries His children in order to purify and strengthen their faith, 
that they might cling to Him and to His grace more truly and 
firmly. You may read of such temptations for good in Gen. 22, 
1—19, and Mark 7, 25—30. 

The temptation for evil does not come from God, but from 
the Devil, the unbelieving world, and our depraved flesh and blood. 
The temptation for evil consists in this, that the Devil, the world, 
and our flesh would deceive or seduce us into misbelief (wrong 
belief and unbelief), into despairing of the grace of God, and into 
other great shame and vice. The object of such temptation for 
evil is to bring us to eternal perdition. Of such temptation for 
evil you may read in Gen. 3, 1 — 6, and Matt. 4, 1 — 11. 

When our Lord Jesus bids us pray: "And lead us not into 
temptation," He speaks of the temptation for evil. God certainly 
tempts no one for evil. Let us hear Luther. He defines this 
petition most excellently by saying: "God indeed tempts no one; 
but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, 
so that the Devil, the world, and our flesh, may not deceive us, 
nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and 
vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally 
overcome, and obtain the victory." 

If you retain this petition in your heart and on your lips, 
you will pass safely through all enemies and their temptations and 
afflictions, into eternal life. For what the Son here bids you pray 
God will certainly perform. 

THE SEVENTH PETITION. 

The Seventh Petition is: "But deliver us from evil." 
Here on earth and in this poor life there are many evils, many 
things that are evil and grievous to bear, both of body and soul, of 
property and honor. And so we should pray our heavenly Father, 
all childlike, that He would entirely spare us many evils, or that, 
when He has afflicted us with a cross, He would either take it 
away from us, or. help us to bear it and turn it to our benefit, and 
that He would finally, by a blessed end, wholly deliver us from 
all evil. 

Dr. Luther says : "We pray in this petition, as the sum of all, 
that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of 



237 

body and soul, property and honor, and finally, when our last hour 
has come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this 
vale of tears to Himself in heaven." 

Through this petition and its fulfillment all things will be 
well with us in time and eternity. 

THE CONCLUSION. 

The conclusion is : "For Thine is the kingdom, and the 
power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen." 

In this conclusion we want to lay before our heavenly Father 
that He, indeed, alone is the Lord and King with whom we should 
seek help; that He alone has the power to grant our petitions, 
and that likewise all glory, honor, and praise accruing therefrom 
shall be His alone. 

And lastly we should say: Amen. 

The meaning of this is beautifully explained by Dr. Luther 
as follows : "That I should be certain that these petitions are 
acceptable to our Father in heaven, and heard; for He Himself 
has commanded us so to pray, and has promised to hear us. Amen, 
Amen, that is, Yes, yes, it shall be so." 

thou Christian and child of God, take the Lord's Prayer, 
learn it, meditate upon it, ponder it within your heart, lift up 
your hands, and pray the petitions which the Son of God teaches 
you to pray, — and what good thing can then be lacking unto you ? 

Lord God, who art my Father dear, 
I pray in Jesus' name; hear 
What, trusting in His promised word, 
I humbly ask of Thee, good Lord. 

Grant us Thy Word, Thy Spirit give, 
That by His grace we godly live, 
Give shelter, peace, good friends, and food, 
Protect our native land, God. 

Save us from sin and Satan's fraud, 
Deliver us from evil, God. 
Be with us in our dying hour; 
Thine is the kingdom, glory, power. 

Lord, at Thy word "Amen!" I say; 
Increase my feeble faith, I pray. 
Thou lead'st me with a father's care, 
let me be Thv child and heir. 



238 



CHAPTER III. 

A Few Words to Show what is a " Means of Grace" 
and what is a "Sacrament." 

Our Lord Jesus Christ has by His holy, precious blood and 
His innocent suffering and death earned for us poor sinners, us 
lost and condemned creatures, unspeakable treasures. Which are 
they ? They are forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, and the gift 
of the Holy Ghost unto faith. 

And all these things Jesus, our Lord, has placed in the Gospel 
and has them communicated unto us, offered, given, presented unto 
us, through the Gospel. There is no other means by which we 
can obtain forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, and the gift of 
the Holy Ghost unto faith, but only the Gospel. 

And since the Gospel is the only means by which such grace v 
of God is given to us, the Gospel is called a Means of Grace. 

I should like to compare the Gospel unto a golden casket. 
If you open the casket, you find therein — speaking by way of 
comparison — three compartments or divisions. Each of these 
compartments or divisions, however, contains the same things, in 
each you find forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, and the Holy 
Ghost unto faith. By the first compartment I mean the Word 
of God as it is read and heard ; by the second compartment I mean 
Baptism; by the third I mean the Lord's Supper. — Thus you 
might also say that there are three means of grace. And this is 
the usual way of putting it. 

Now I want to explain why the Word is a means of grace, 
that is, why by means of the Word forgiveness of sins, life and 
salvation, and the Holy Ghost unto faith, is given us. — Because 
God says in His Word that He gives you forgiveness of sins, life 
and salvation, and the Holy Ghost unto faith, He therefore really 
and actually gives you these things through His Word. The 
Word does not merely relate to you the fact that God has given 
you this grace, but at the same time it gives you this grace. It is 
a means of grace. To use another simile, — it is just as with a 
five-dollar note that is presented to you. The note does not merely 
tell you something about five dollars, but actually gives them to you. 
The five-dollar note is five dollars. So it is with God's Word. 
Scriptures expressly call the Gospel "a power of God unto salva- 



239 

tion" Bom. 1, 16; 1 Cor. 1, 18. 21. And Scriptures expressly 
say, if you would find the righteousness of faith, which is the 
forgiveness of sins, you must go neither here nor there, but "the 
Word which is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: 
that is, the word of faith which we preach/' and therein you find 
that righteousness, Eom. 10, 8. And finally Scriptures expressly 
say that faith cometh by hearing the Gospel, Eom. 10, 17, the 
Gospel which is "the ministration of the Spirit," 2 Cor. 3, 8, and 
that the Spirit is received by the hearing of faith, Gal. 3, 2. 

Why Baptism and the Lord's Supper are means of grace, 
that is to say, why by means of Baptism and the Lord's Supper 
forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, and the Holy Ghost unto 
faith, is given us, this I will explain more fully in the following 
chapters. 

Eight here I merely want to say that Baptism and the Lord's 
Supper are called Sacraments. 

Let me explain what we call a Sacrament. 

The word "Sacrament" means a sacred act. A Sacrament is 
a sacred act ordained by God. The Word of the Gospel is contained 
in it. But connected with the Word there is some external, visible 
thing which we should use. And by this act the grace which 
Christ has merited, that is, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, 
and the gift of the Holy Ghost, is offered, conveyed, and sealed, 
that is, made sure, unto us. 

You ought to ponder over this definition somewhat in order 
to understand it. 

You will understand it best if I show it to you as it applies 
to Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

Baptism is a sacred act ordained by God. What manner of 
sacred act is Baptism? We should be baptized with water, should 
be washed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost, unto forgiveness of sins, and life and salvation, and 
that we might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is what 
the Word of God says of Baptism. Thus in Baptism there is the 
word of the Gospel. But connected with the Word there is an 
external and visible thing : water, with which we are to be washed. 
And by this act the grace which Christ has merited, that is, for- 
giveness of sins, life and salvation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
is offered, conveyed, and sealed unto us. 



240 

The Lord's Supper is likewise a sacred act ordained by God. 
In this Sacrament we should eat and drink bread and wine, and 
thereby receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ unto 
the forgiveness of sins. That is what God's Word says of the Lord's 
Supper. Thus it is that the word of the Gospel is in the Lord's 
Supper; but connected with the Word are external, visible things, 
bread and wine, which we should eat and drink. And by this act 
Christ and the grace which Christ has merited, that is, forgiveness 
of sins, life and salvation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, is offered, 
conveyed, and sealed unto us. 

In this way Baptism and the Lord's Supper are called 
Sacraments. 

There are no other Sacraments besides Baptism and the Lord's 
Supper. 

In the Old Testament they also had Sacraments : Circumcision 
and the Paschal Lamb, of which I have already told you. But 
these Sacraments no longer obtain in the New Testament. 

I may well say that God has ordained the Sacraments in order 
to make our faith in His grace firm and strong. For if we, each of 
us severally, receive visible things, and if the Word of God is con- 
nected therewith, to tell us that even so we receive the grace which 
Christ has merited, then, surely, this makes us strong and firm in 
the belief that we possess the grace of God. 

To us in lost condition 

Is given a Physician: 

The Prince of Life died for us, 

To life did He restore us. 

His Word, His Font, His Table, 
Are Means of Grace most able; 
Through faith the Holy Spirit 
Brings us to trust their merit. 

Through Him are sins forgiven, 
Made wide the gates of heaven; 
Life and eternal treasures 
Shall be our boundless measures. 



241 



CHAPTER IV. 
Of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. 

Now I will explain the Fourth Chief Part of the Cate- 
chism, which treats of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism ; and by the 
grace of God I will help yon to a right understanding of holy Bap- 
tism, that it might be holy nnto yon. — 

To baptize means to wash, to wash with water, simple, common 
water. 

But, says Dr. Lnther, "Baptism is not simple water only, but 
it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with 
God's Word." 

True, baptizing is done with simple water. Bnt in this water 
and connected with this water there is God's Word and command. 
Baptism is commanded and instituted by God. It is not a human 
or ecclesiastical ordinance or ceremony. It is of God. And God 
through His Word gives unto Baptism a peculiar power. It is not 
a mere outward ordinance or ceremony. It is a power of God. 

What Luther states in his definition of Baptism, and what 
I have just enlarged upon a little, Christ, our Lord, says in the last 
chapter of Matthew : "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," 
Matt. 28, 19. When Christ, our Lord, says : "Baptize them !" this 
is a divine command to baptize. And when our Lord Jesus says: 
"Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost," this is a divine word by which a peculiar power, 
a power of God, is given unto Baptism. What peculiar power? 
What power of God? This power, that through Baptism a poor, 
lost, and condemned sinner is received into the gracious and blessed 
communion of the Triune God. For by Baptism in the name of 
the Triune God nothing is meant but just this : to receive through 
Baptism into the communion of the Triune God. 

If, however, through Baptism, a man, that is to say, a poor, 
lost, and condemned sinner, is received into the gracious and 
blessed communion of the Triune God, then certainly Baptism 
works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the Devil, and 
gives eternal salvation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost unto faith. 
For, certainly, a man cannot be in the communion of God and not 
have forgiveness of sins, and not be delivered from death and the 
16 



242 

Devil, and not have eternal life, and not believe in the gracious God 
who gives him all these things. 

Therefore Dr. Luther answers the question : "What does Bap- 
tism give or profit?" as follows: "It works forgiveness of sins, 
delivers from death and the Devil, and gives eternal salvation to 
all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare." 

And the words and promises which God has connected with 
Baptism, and which God, as it were, has placed into Baptism, 
really declare and state this. 

First I will quote you some words of God which show and 
bring it about that Baptism works forgiveness of sins, that God 
in Baptism gives you the forgiveness of sins : — 

"Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins/' we read 
Acts 22, 16. 

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," Acts 2, 38. 

"Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He 
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the 
Word," Eph. 5, 25. 26. 

Now I will quote some words of God which show and bring 
it about that Baptism gives life and salvation, and therefore de- 
livers from death and the Devil : — 

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," says our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Mark 16, 16. 

"Baptism does also now save us," 1 Pet. 3, 21. 

"According to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of 
regeneration" (Baptism), Tit. 3, 5. 

Now if God through Baptism gives and presents unto you 
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, then, in order to have and 
to hold and enjoy such grace, you must believe, that is, accept it 
through faith. Therefore Christ, our Lord, says in the last 
chapter of Mark : "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; 
but he that believeth not shall be damned," and Dr. Luther says : 
Baptism gives eternal salvation to all who believe this. 

And through Baptism God also gives you the gift of the Holy 
Spirit unto faith. You may see this from the following beautiful 
word of God : "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, 
but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regen- 
eration and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us 



243 

through Jesus Christ, our Savior; that being justified 
by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of 
eternal life. This is a faithful saying," Tit. 3, 5 — 8. Thus Bap- 
tism is a bath through which the Holy Ghost is poured out upon 
us abundantly, that we might believe and actually hold and enjoy 
the righteousness of faith and eternal life. 

In short: In Baptism we put on our Lord Jesus Christ and 
all His grace and all the blessings which He has earned for us. 
And by accepting this in faith we become the children of God, and 
are thus received into the gracious and blessed communion of God, 
as it is written : "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have 
put on Christ," Gal. 3, 26. 27. 

To sum up : Through Baptism God gives us forgiveness of 
sins, life and salvation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost unto faith. 
Thus the Sacrament of Holy Baptism is a means of grace just 
like the written Word of God which is read and preached to us, 
and is part of the Gospel. — 

Not to add something new, but to make more clear what has 
been said, I will write down a question and answer of Dr. Luther, 
and briefly dwell upon it. 

Dr. Luther asks: "How can water do such great things?" 
He means to say, How can water work forgiveness of sins, deliver 
from death and the Devil, and give eternal life, so that, by accept- 
ing these things in faith, you have and hold them? 

And his answer is: "It is not the water indeed that does 
them, but the Word of God which is in and with the water, and 
faith, which trusts such Word of God in the water. For without 
the Word of God the water is simple water, and no Baptism. But 
with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water 
of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul 
says, Titus, chapter third: By the washing of regeneration, and 
renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly 
through Jesus Christ, our Savior: that, being justified by His 
grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal 
life. This is a faithful saying." 

Simple water and simple washing with water indeed does not 
do such great things. But it is the Word of God which, as you 
have seen, is in and with the water that puts such great things 



244 — — 

into Baptism. And faith which trusts such Word of God in the 
water takes these great things out of Baptism and appropriates 
them. And then God says, Amen, Amen, now you have the things 
which I have given you through Baptism. For without the Word 
of God, without being connected with the Word of God, the water 
is simple water and no Baptism. And what is it together with the 
Word of God? With the Word of God the water is a Baptism in 
the true, divine sense. What is it? It is a gracious water of life, 
a water through which the grace of God is given you abundantly 
unto eternal life. And it is a washing of regeneration in the Holy 
Ghost, a washing through which you poor, lost, and condemned 
sinner are born again to be a blissful, rescued, blessed, and dear 
child of God; for in Baptism the Holy Ghost is given you, who 
creates in you the saving faith in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, 
your Lord, and a new spiritual life, so that henceforth, being sure 
of the grace of God, you serve Him without fear in holiness and 
righteousness before Him. 

blessed, blessed Baptism ! 

Are you baptized? Do you believe this? 

Note furthermore of what significance Baptism is for your 
daily walk. 

We who are born again, we in whom the Holy Ghost through 
the means of grace has created and sustained the justifying and* 
saving faith and therewith a new spiritual life, — we still and 
nevertheless have within us the "old Adam." By the "old Adam" 
or the "old man" (Eph. 4, 22) is meant that total sinful depravity 
which through the fall of Adam has come upon us and is born 
in us. This old Adam we regenerated Christians and children of 
God still have within us. We behold this in the manifold sins and 
evil lusts which daily are within and on us. 

But just because we are born again we also have the "new 
man" within us, that is, the new spiritual being and life which the 
Holy Ghost has created and sustained within us through the means 
of grace. 

And now there is within us Christians and children of God 
a constant and daily warfare between the old Adam and the new 
man. The old Adam within us constantly says to all evil lusts: 
Yes, yes, that is what I want. The new man says : No, no, I do 
not want that. To all things that are well pleasing unto God the 



245 

old Adam says : No, no, I do not want that. The new man says : 
Yes indeed, I want that. 

And what should and will be the daily result of such warfare 
between the old Adam and the new man within us? The van- 
quishment of the old Adam and the victory of the new man. 

And how is this done? Through daily contrition and re- 
pentance. When we daily lament and repent our sinful depravity 
and the resulting manifold sins and evil lusts, and in true con- 
trition beg our heavenly Father in the name of our dear Savior 
to be gracious unto us and to forgive us all our sins and to give 
us the power of His Holy Spirit, that we might not henceforth 
walk in the old evil lusts, but walk before Him in the newness 
and righteousness of life unto life eternal, — then and thus the 
old Adam is vanquished; and thus the new man conquers. Thus 
the old Adam daily loses his control over us, that we may not for 
his sake lose the grace of God, and that we may resist and suppress 
his evil lusts. And thus the new man daily acquires control over 
us so that we may walk and increase before God in faithful con- 
fidence in His grace and in good works. Thus the old Adam is, as 
it were, drowned daily within us, and dies with all sins and evil 
lusts; and thus there daily comes forth and arises the new man 
who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever. 

And just this, that the old Adam in us should by daily con- 
trition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil 
lusts, and again a new man daily come forth and arise, who shall 
live before God in righteousness and purity forever, — this is the 
significance of Baptism for our daily life. 

And why has our Baptism such significance for our daily 
life? Our Baptism has this significance for our daily life because 
through Baptism we have part with Christ. "For as many of you 
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ," Gal. 3, 27. 
We are "baptized into Jesus Christ," Eom. 6, 3. Jesus Christ, 
through Baptism, belongs to us, with all His salvation, with all 
His power, with His death and with His life. Even as He has 
buried our sins, so can and should we daily bury and avoid them; 
and even as He is risen from the dead and lives, so can and should 
we daily walk in newness of life. St. Paul through the Holy Ghost 
says: "We are buried with Christ by Baptism into death: that 
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life," Rom. 6, 4. 



246 

I hope that you will now understand what Baptism signifies 
for your daily walk. 

And I trust that you now understand Dr. Luther, who says 
in his Catechism: 

"What does such baptizing with water signify ? — It signifies 
that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, 
be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts and, again, a new 
man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in 
righteousness and purity forever/' 

The Holy Ghost, who through Baptism works faith and so 
regenerates us, thereby deposits in our hearts the vow: I renounce 
the "Devil, and all his works, and all his ways; and I believe in God 
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, that I might be 
His own and serve Him only. This baptismal vow — in these or 
other words, but in spirit and in truth — you should repeat every 
day. Thereby you enter upon a great and grave and a daily war- 
fare. But God is with you, and victory is yours. — 

This is what I wanted to say to you about the Sacrament of 
Holy Baptism. And I hope that you will carefully study this 
chapter. May God thereunto grant you His grace! 

Baptized into Thy name most holy, 

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 

1 claim a place, though weak and lowly, 
Among Thy seed, Thy chosen host; 
Buried with Christ, and dead to sin, 
Thy Spirit now shall live within. 

My loving Father, Thou dost take me 
To be henceforth Thy child and heir; 
My faithful Savior, Thou dost make me 
The fruit of all Thy sorrows share; 
Thou, Holy Ghost, wilt comfort me 
When darkest clouds around I see. 

And I have vowed to fear and love Thee, 
And to obey Thee, Lord, alone; 
I felt Thy Holy Spirit move me, 
And freely pledged myself Thine own, 
Renouncing sin to keep the faith, 
And war with evil unto death. 

My faithful God, Thou failest never, 
Thy cov'nant surely will abide; 
O cast me not away forever, 
Should I transgress it on my side; 
If I have sore my soul defiled, 
Yet still forgive, restore Thy child. 



247 

Yea, all I am, and love most dearly, — 
To Thee I offer 'new the whole; 
let me make my vows sincerely, 
Take full possession of my soul; 
Let naught within me, naught I own, 
Serve any will but Thine alone. 

Depart, depart, thou Prince of darkness ! 
No more by thee I'll be enticed. 
Mine is indeed a tarnished conscience, 
But sprinkled with the blood of Christ. 
Away, vain world! sin, away! 
Lo! I renounce you all this day. 

And never let my purpose falter, 
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
But keep me faithful to Thine altar, 
Till Thou shalt call me from my post. 
So unto Thee I live and die, 
And praise Thee evermore on high. 



CHAPTER V. 

More About Holy Baptism. 

While I have, dear reader, in the preceding chapter shown 
fully and sufficiently from the Word of God what Baptism is, yet 
there are so many false teachers round about you who teach falsely 
about Baptism, that I must needs tell you a few more things in 
this matter to guard you against confusion and error. — 

The chief false doctrine is this, that, while Baptism is insti- 
tuted by God, it does not give forgiveness of sins, life and salva- 
tion, and the Holy Ghost unto faith, and that, hence, it is merely 
an outward ceremony, only an outward sign. — This false doctrine 
is found in the Eeformed church and all the churches sprung from 
that church, such as the Methodists, the Evangelical Association, 
the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and others. 

In the foregoing chapter I have quoted sufficiently from the 
Word of God to guard you against this false doctrine. 

Now as respects Baptists, they have two additional false doc- 
trines concerning Baptism. First they say that it is wrong to 
baptize little children, and secondly they say that people must be 
immersed in Baptism. 

To keep you from the false doctrine mentioned in the first 
place, I will say to you from the Word of God that "all nations," 



248 

that is, all people, both young and old, are to be baptized. The 
Lord Jesus says : "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," 
Matt. 28, 19. 

The following distinction must of course be made: Those 
who are old enough to receive instruction in the Word of God are 
to be baptized after they have been previously instructed in the 
principal doctrines of the divine Word and Christian faith, and 
have confessed their faith. For the Lord Jesus says: "Preach 
the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved/' Mark 16, 15. 16. Little children, however, when 
born of Christian parents, or brought to Baptism by those who 
have authority over them, are to be baptized at once. 

This last statement Baptists oppose. 

Now it is useless to speak with Baptists about this point, 
because, as stated above, they look upon Baptism as a mere out- 
ward ceremony, a mere sign of conversion. But to you I will 
demonstrate from God's Word that little children are indeed to 
be baptized. 

True, in Scriptures you will find no text which expressly 
charges us to baptize little children. But you will likewise find 
no text expressly charging us to baptize men or women. Scriptures 
merely direct us to baptize "all nations/' And children certainly 
also are a part of "all nations." 

Furthermore: The Savior certainly wants also the little chil- 
dren in His kingdom, and wants to save them. Mark 10, 13 — 15 
you may read the following: "And they brought little children 
to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked 
those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much 
displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come 
unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom of God. 
Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom 
of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." 

But: Little children are also flesh born of flesh and must 
therefore be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
Jesus, our Lord, says: "Except a man be born of water and of 
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which 
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit 
is spirit," John 3,- 5. 6. 



249 

Note then: This new birth, or regeneration, can properly 
take place in little children only through Baptism. For they can 
neither read nor hear nor understand the Word; and the Lord's 
Supper they may not have, as you will see later on. Hence little 
children are to be baptized. 

And you will find instances recorded in the Bible where 
children have been baptized. For Lydia was baptized and her 
household, and the jailer at Philippi and all his, Acts 16, 15. 33. 

And in the Old Testament it was expressly commanded to 
apply the means of grace and Sacrament of Circumcision upon 
little boys eight days old. 

And finally, little children also can believe, just as well as 
3^ou or any man. God the Holy Ghost, through Baptism, creates 
faith in them as well as in others. How this is done we do not 
know, but we know that it is done. The Holy Ghost enters the 
souls of baptized little children and there works faith. Matt. 18, 
1 — 6 our Lord Jesus speaks of little children, as you may there 
see, and says: "Which believe in me." And does not our Lord 
Jesus understand the matter better than Baptists who say that 
little children cannot believe and therefore should not be baptized ? 
And if you would have an example of the miraculous power of 
the Holy Spirit to work faith in little children, read Luke 1, 15. 
41—44. 

Let no man confound you, neither with regard to your own 
baptism, if you have received it in infancy, nor with regard to 1 
Infant Baptism in general. — 

As to the other false doctrine of Baptists, that men must be 
immersed in Baptism, mark what I tell you. 

The word "baptize" is derived from the Greek language, in 
which the New Testament was originally written, and there reads 
"baptizein." And baptizein simply means to wash, to wash with 
water. You may clearly see this from the following text : "When 
they (the Pharisees) come from the market, except they wash" 
(here the word baptizein is used in the Greek), "they eat not. 
And many other things there be which they have received to hold, 
as the washing {baptizein) of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and 
of tables," Mark 7, 4. Do you think that the Pharisees regularly 
immersed themselves and their tables? They may have done so 
with their cups and pots and brazen vessels. But the word bap- 
tizein, or "baptize," merely means to wash. 



250 

And therefore it is wrong of Baptists to say that people must 
be immersed in Baptism, and that Baptism is not valid unless they 
are immersed. To baptize means to wash a man with water. It 
is immaterial whether this is done by immersion, or pouring, or 
sprinkling. 

A few more remarks I will make. 

Ordinarily the called ministers of Christ, the pastors, should 
administer Baptism. This is a part of their office, of which you 
will hear more in the next chapter. 

But in case of necessity, say when an infant is at the point 
of death and there is no time to get the pastor, any Christian may 
and should administer Baptism. 

In case of such an "emergency Baptism" take water and 
therewith wash the child, or pour, or sprinkle it upon the child, 
an/I say: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." If there is time, say the Lord's 
Prayer or some other short prayer. 

It is well, also, to have witnesses for this act, so that if the 
child should live, the pastor may ascertain that the child has been 
properly baptized. 

Such witnesses are called sponsors. You find them at every 
infant Baptism. Their office is first, as has just been said, to 
testify that the infant has been properly baptized. But they are 
also to assist in caring for the Christian education of the child, 
and to pray for it. 

That by the water and the Word 
We're born again, we thank Thee, Lord! 
In life and death Thine let us be, 
And Thine in all eternity. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Of the Office of the Keys. 

Before I speak of the other Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, 
I will first treat of the Fifth Chief Part of the Catechism, the 
Office of the Keys, and Confession. In the first place, of the 
Office of the Keys. — 

By "office" we mean a service performed in the name, and 
at the command of, a superior, and therefore a power to act or 



251 

do something. For instance, a mayor's office is a service per- 
formed in the name, and at the command of, a community, and 
therefore comprises a certain power. 

The Office of the Keys is not a secular, worldly, but a spiritual 
service and power. It is found only in the Church of God on 
earth, in the communion of saints. Christ, the Lord and King 
of the Church, has ordained and instituted it in His Church on 
earth, and He clearly defines its function and its power. The 
Office of the Keys is an altogether separate and particular, or as 
Luther's Catechism says, a "peculiar" office, a Church office which 
has nothing whatsoever to do with worldly affairs and judgments. 

The Office of the Keys is solely and exclusively an office of the 
Word, the Word of God, and a power of the Word. 

The Office of the Keys is the function and power to preach 
the Gospel and to administer the holy Sacraments, Baptism and 
the Lord's Supper. This is the first and general function and 
power comprised in the Office of the Keys. 

Behold how the Lord Jesus ordained and instituted it. Be- 
fore His ascension into heaven He said unto His disciples : " All 
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe 
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with 
you alway, even unto the end of the world," Matt. 28, 18 — 20. 

And the Office of the Keys also comprises the function and 
power to forgive and to retain (= not forgive) sins. This is the 
second and particular function and power of the Office of the Keys. 

Behold how the Lord Jesus Christ has ordained and instituted 
this. After His glorious resurrection He said to His disciples: 
"Keceive ye the Holy G-host: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are 
remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are re- 
tained," John 20, 22. 23. 

And because of this function and power this office is called 
the Office of the Keys. For by the remission of sins heaven is 
opened, and by the retention of sins heaven is closed. Thus Jesus 
our Lord also says : "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind" (shut out) "on earth 
shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose" (ad- 
mit) "on earth shall be loosed in heaven," Matt. 16, 19. We 
therefore speak of two keys: the Releasing Key, the forgiveness 



252 

of sins and the opening of heaven; and the Binding Key, the re- 
tention of sins and the closing of heaven. 

The Word of God, however, determines very exactly whose 
sins should be forgiven and whose sins should be retained. To the 
penitent sinners, that is, to those who repent of their sins and 
believe in Jesus Christ, their sins should be forgiven. But to the 
impenitent their sins should be retained as long as they do not 
repent. This is God's great rule of which you have frequently 
heard. Therefore the Apostle Peter says by the Holy Ghost: 
"Bepent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be 
blotted out," Acts 3, 19. And the Lord Jesus says on the other 
hand: "He that believeth not shall be damned," Mark 16, 16. 

I will now quote the words of Dr. Luther from his Small 
Catechism. See whether you understand them from what has 
been said so far. 

Dr. Luther asks: "What is the Office of the Keys?" — And 
he answers: "It is the peculiar Church power which Christ has 
given to His Church on earth to forgive the sins of the penitent 
sinners unto them, but to retain the sins of the impenitent, as 
long as they do not repent." 

And Dr. Luther asks: "Where is this written?" And he 
answers : "Thus writes the holy Evangelist John, chapter twen- 
tieth: The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples, and saith unto 
them, Beceive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they 
are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are 
retained." 

There is one point you will not understand from what has 
been said so far. And about this point there has been much lament- 
able strife. — Is it not a pity that there is so much strife on earth 
over matters of faith, while the Word of God is so clear? This 
is due to the sins of men. Men want to introduce their own 
thoughts into God's Word, refusing to submit fully unto it. 

The point to which I refer is this. To whom did Christ give 
the Office of the Keys ? Whom has Christ vested with the function 
and power to preach the Gospel, to administer the Sacraments, 
and, in particular, to forgive and retain sins? Whom has Christ 
honored so highly as to give him such an office? 

With the Word of God I will slowly and gradually lead you 
to the right answer. 



253 



I will first speak of the particular function and power to 
forgive and to retain sins. To whom did Christ give this office 
and power? 

One day our Lord Jesus said unto His disciple Simon Peter : 
"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and 
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: 
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," 
Matt. 16, 19. 

There is no doubt that here the Lord Jesus Christ gave the 
Office of the Keys to Peter. 

And, basing on this, the Pope of Eome, and the entire Eoman 
Catholic church, now says: Since the Lord Jesus Christ gave to 
Peter the Office of the Keys, therefore the Pope has the Office of 
the Keys and the power to forgive and retain sins; for Peter was 
the first Pope. 

I could say many things to refute this. But I will merely 
say one thing. It is this : — When our Lord Jesus had arisen and 
appeared to His disciples on the evening of the Easter Sunday, 
He said unto them: "Keceive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever 
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins 
ye retain, they are retained," John 20, 22. 23. 

There is no doubt that here the Lord Jesus gave the Office 
of the Keys to His disciples. 

And so that papal doctrine is put to shame. Not only to 
Peter, but to all His disciples the Lord Jesus gave the Office of 
the Keys. 

And now other false teachers say: Since our Lord Jesus 
Christ gave the Office of the Keys to His disciples, therefore the 
pastors have the Office of the Keys and the power to forgive and 
to retain sins : for the disciples were the first pastors because they 
were Apostles. 

In refutation hereof I will say: These disciples were not 
only the Apostles, but also a large number of men and women 
with them. And furthermore I will say: 

One day the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples how to deal 
with a brother and fellow- Christian who commits sin. And this 
instruction was intended for all of us, unto the end of time. He 
said: "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him 
his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou 
hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take 



254 

with thee one or two more, that in the month of two or three; 
witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect 
to hear them, tell it nnto the Church: bnt if he neglect to hear 
the Church, let him be nnto thee as an heathen man and a 
publican." 

There is no donbt that here the Lord Jesns gave the Office 
of the Keys to the Church, the Christian Chnrch. That is, He 
gave it to every local Christian congregation, snch as in this place 
or that is gathered about the Word and Sacraments, even thongh 
the congregation be ever so small, even thongh there be only two 
or three gathered together in His name. 

And so the doctrine that Christ had- given the Office of the 
Keys to the pastors is pnt to shame. 

The true and correct answer, therefore, founded upon the 
Word of God, the answer to the question: To whom did Christ 
give the Office of the Keys? is this: Christ has given the Office 
of the Keys to His Church or congregation" on earth, more par- 
ticularly, to every local congregation. 

To Peter the Lord Jesus gave the Office of the Keys upon that 
one occasion merely because he proved himself to be a believing 
Christian. And to His disciples on the evening of Easter day 
He gave the Office of the Keys because they constituted the con- 
gregation of Christians in that place. 

What has been said so far pertains to that particular function 
of the Office of the Keys which consists in this, that the congre- 
gation is to forgive and retain sins. 

And also the general function of the Office of the Keys, to 
preach the Gospel and to administer the Sacraments, is given to 
the Church and every local Christian congregation. For to His 
assembled Apostles the Lord Jesus said: "All power is given unto 
me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things what- 
soever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world. Amen," Matt. 28, 18 — 20. From 
the words of the Lord Jesus: "I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the world," you see that the Lord Jesus spoke not only 
to the Apostles, but to all believers. This you clearly see from 
the following words which, through Peter, the Holy Ghost ad- 
dresses to all Christian believers: "Ye are a chosen generation, 



255 

a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye 
should show forth the praises of Him who hath called yon ont of 
darkness into His marvelous light," 1 Pet. 2, 9. 

Yes, clearly and beyond question the Word of God says that 
Christ has given the Office of the Keys with all its dnties and 
functions to the Church and to every local congregation, and not 
to one or a few only. 

What, then, are pastors? 

You see, in every congregation there are men and women, 
youths and adults, old people and little children, wise and simple, 
and whatever other distinctions might be drawn. And now con- 
sider. Unto all these is given the Office of the Keys with all its 
duties and functions. They are all commanded and they are all 
empowered by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach the Word of Christ 
in their midst; to administer the Lord's Supper; to baptize; to 
instruct the children in God's Word; to teach, to rebuke, to ad- 
monish, to comfort the adults, and to ground and confirm them 
in the faith ; to forgive the sins of the penitent sinners unto them, 
and to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not 
repent. Can all these diversified members of the congregation 
step up publicly in the congregation and perform these functions 
of the Office of the Keys? No, they certainly cannot. And if an 
attempt were made to that effect, endless disorder and confusion 
would result. 

And God by no means wants this. 

That there might be a proper performance of the various 
functions of the Office of the Keys in the Christian congregation, 
God has instituted a special order. God has ordered that in the 
Christian congregation there should be special servants, ministers, 
of the Word, who shall publicly perform the functions of the Office 
of the Keys in the name of the congregation. 

Therefore we read that Paul and Barnabas ordained "elders" 
in every church, Acts 14, 23. And these "elders," or "bishops," 
or "presbyters," or "teachers," as they were then called, are now 
commonly termed pastors or ministers. 

That God Himself has instituted this order you may see from 
the following words of Scripture: "God hath set some in the 
Church, . . . teachers," 1 Cor. 12, 28. "He (Christ) gave some, . . . 
pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work 
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Eph. 4, 



256 

11. 12. And to the "elders" of the churches of Ephesus in as- 
sembly the Apostle Paul said: "Take heed therefore unto your- 
selves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath 
made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath 
purchased with His own blood," Acts 20, 28. 

So it is God, the Triune God, who "gives" pastors to the 
congregations. For a congregation to have a pastor is not a human 
but a divine order. God gives to the Christian congregation its 
pastor. 

But in what manner does God give pastors to the Christian 
congregations ? 

Not in the manner in which God called the Prophets and 
Apostles of old. God gave Prophets and Apostles by choosing and 
calling them directly, immediately, and personally, without em- 
ploying the agency of man. See Matt. 10, for example. 

To the various local congregations God gives pastors in this 
manner, that the congregation itself chooses and calls its pastor. 
In obedience to the divine order a congregation should look about 
for a Christian man who is able to teach, and should choose and 
call him as its pastor, and upon him it should confer or depute 
the Office of the Keys given to the congregation, that he might 
publicly administer it with all its functions, in the midst of that 
congregation. When a congregation has done this, and when the 
man so chosen has accepted the call extended to him, then God 
has given this pastor to this congregation. The aforenamed 
"elders" of the Christian congregations at Ephesus were all men 
thus chosen and called by the congregations. And nevertheless 
the Apostle says that the Holy Ghost has made them overseers, to 
feed the Church of God. 

In this manner the pastors of local congregations are given 
by God. It cannot be otherwise. It is evident that God no longer 
calls immediately. And since in a local Christian congregation 
all have equally children^ rights before God, no one is permitted 
to arrogate the ministry to himself. And since through divine 
bestowal the local congregation itself holds the Office of the Keys, 
no one on earth has authority, without its consent, to give unto 
such congregation a pastor or minister who is to publicly perform 
the Office of the Keys in its midst and in its name. Each congre- 
gation is to choose and call its pastor. This is not contradicted 
but confirmed by Acts 14, 23, where Paul and Barnabas are said 



257 

to have "ordained" elders in every chnrch. For the Greek word 
here given with "ordained" expressly indicates that Paul and 
Barnabas caused the congregations to vote by the lifting up of 
hands and thus to choose and call their elders. This is also the 
meaning of Tit. 1, 5. 

And when a pastor does not rightly perform his office in the 
congregation, according to the Word of God, or when he is a 
manifest slave of sin, it becomes the right and duty of the con- 
gregation to depose him and to elect another pastor. 

What, therefore, is a pastor? 

A pastor is a servant of Christ, given or appointed by God 
through the choice and call of a Christian congregation, who in 
the name of the congregation publicly performs the functions of 
the Office of the Keys in its midst. 

Pastors should say with Paid : "Let a man so account of us, 
as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of 
God," 1 Cor. 4, 1. And every pastor should say unto his congre- 
gation, with Paul: "For if I forgave any thing, to whom I for- 
gave it, for your sakes forgave I it" (because of the office con- 
ferred upon me by you) "in the person of Christ/' 2 Cor. 2, 10. 



After having thus shown you, my dear reader, what the Office 
of the Keys is and how it is publicly administered in the congre- 
gations, let me now show you how you should properly respect it 
and use it, in faith. 

What, then, do you believe concerning the Office of the Keys 
according to the Word of God that you have heard about it? 

Dr. Luther answers this question as follows : 

"I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with 
us by His divine command, especially when they exclude manifest 
and impenitent sinners from the Christian congregation, and, 
again, when they absolve those who repent of their sins and are 
willing to amend, this is as valid and certain, in heaven also, as 
if Christ, our dear Lord, dealt with us Himself." 

"The called ministers of Christ" are the pastors, chosen and 
called by the congregations and so appointed by God. 

, Whatever the pastors in their congregations and in the per- 
formance of their office deal or do they must do "by His" (the 
Lord Jesus Christ's) "divine command." They must say or do 
17 



258 

only those things which Christ has commanded. They are merely 
to be mouthpieces and servants of Christ the Lord. A pastor who 
in his congregation says or does otherwise than Christ has com- 
manded is unworthy of his office. 

Now, whenever the called ministers of Christ deal with us by 
His divine command, this is as valid and certain, in heaven also, 
as if Christ, our dear Lord, dealt with us Himself. If a pastor 
preaches the Word of Cod, this is as valid and certain as if Christ 
were preaching in person. And God in heaven says, Amen! If a 
pastor baptizes in accordance with Christ's command, this is just 
as valid and certain as if Christ were baptizing in person. And 
Cod in heaven says, Amen ! If a pastor administers the Lord's 
Supper in agreement with the institution of Christ, this is just as 
valid and certain as if Christ administered the Sacrament in 
person. And God in heaven says, Amen ! If a pastor instructs, 
rebukes, admonishes, comforts, with the Word of God, this is just 
as valid and certain as if Christ instructed, rebuked, admonished, 
and comforted in person. And God in heaven says, Amen ! If a 
pastor forgives the sins of the penitent sinners unto them in accord- 
ance with the command of Christ, this is as valid and certain as if 
Christ, visibly and in person, forgave the sins. And God in heaven 
says, Amen ! If the pastor retains the sins of the manifest and im- 
penitent sinners, agreeably to the order of Christ, our Lord (of 
which order I shall speak directly), and excludes them from the 
Christian congregation, this is as valid and certain as if Christ, 
visibly and in person, retained the sins and excluded these sinners 
from the Christian congregation. And God in heaven says, Amen ! 
If a pastor absolves those who repent of their sins and are willing 
to amend, that is, if he cancels the retention of sins and exclusion 
from the Christian congregation, in accordance with the command 
of Christ, this is just as valid and certain as if Christ, visibly and 
in person, absolved, forgave the sins, and again admitted these 
penitent sinners into the Christian congregation. And God in 
heaven says, Amen! 

This you must believe. 

And you should help in bringing about such a state of affairs 
in your congregation that the members act and believe according to 
these words. 



259 

Let me tell yon more about the Key of Absolution (Releasing 
Key), and more particularly about the Key of Excommunication 
(Eetaining Key). 

The pastor of a Christian congregation is to forgive the sins 
of the penitent sinners of his congregation. And thus it is Christ 
who does this through him. — Would to God that diligent use were 
made of this office of the pastors by our Christian congregations ! 
We miserable creatures sin in many ways. Must not these sins 
burden our heart and conscience? Therefore we ought to go to 
our pastor and speak to him about in this manner : "Pastor, I have 
sinned. And I am heartily sorry for it and sincerely repent of it. 
And I long for the assurance of the forgiveness of my sins for 
Christ's sake. And since you hold that office in the congregation 
through which sins are forgiven, I beg you to perform that office 
and to forgive my sins unto me. With the help of Cod I will amend 
my sinful life and gladly do what God's Word bids me do." Then 
it behooves the pastor to forgive the sins in Christ's stead. How 
much consolation would result therefrom ! How great a spiritual 
blessing it would bring ! 

Perhaps you say: "The pastor is to forgive the sins of the 
penitent sinners unto them. But certainly a pastor cannot look 
into the heart and know whether a person is truly penitent or only 
a sanctimonious hypocrite. How about this?" 

I answer : Unless it is manifest and apparent that a person is 
impenitent, the pastor should forgive the sins unto him as he de- 
sires it. If he is a hypocrite, God will find him. A hypocrite does 
not accept the proffered forgiveness in faith, and therefore actually 
is not in possession of this heavenly gift. But the pastor is unable 
to judge this. Only to the manifestly and evidently impenitent 
sinners the pastor is to refuse forgiveness, to retain their sins, and 
to exclude them from the Christian congregation. — 

Let me show you in what manner the retaining of sins and 
excommunication from the Christian Church should be performed. 

In this manner : — When an offender has committed an un- 
questionably manifest and evident sin, or continues in it, and re- 
mains impenitent even after he has been duly admonished accord- 
ing to Christ's precept and order, the congregation declares such 
a sinner a heathen man and a publican, and such judgment is pub- 
licly announced by the pastor. 



260 

This I will explain more fully and substantiate it from the 
Word of God. 

If the retaining of sins and the excommunication of a sinner 
from the Christian Church is in question, it must first be ascer- 
tained that a sin has actually been committed, or that the offender 
is continuing in it. Do you understand what I mean ? There must 
be a manifest and evident sin against God's clear and indubitable 
Word. If a person has transgressed human enactments and ordi- 
nances, or if it is merely a suspicion resting upon him and an evil 
appearance, or if it is merely the opinion of the majority that he 
has committed sin, then the sin cannot be retained nor can such 
a one be excluded from the Christian Church. Be sure to note this ! 

Furthermore it must be established beyond doubt that the 
offender is impenitent, that is to say, that he does not repent of his 
sin, does not believe in his Savior, and refuses to amend. Wherever 
the possibility remains that a person still has the faith in the Savior 
Jesus Christ, the sin of such a person may not be retained, nor may 
he be excluded from the Christian Church. 

How can it be determined, determined beyond doubt, that a 
sinner is impenitent? 

If the sinner has previously been dealt with according to the 
instruction and command of Christ, our Lord, and still does not 
repent of his sin nor wants to amend, then we may and must be 
undoubtedly certain that such a sinner is impenitent. 

What is the instruction and command of Christ, our Lord, 
in such a case? 

It is this : — 

Matt. 18, 15 — 17 it is written: "If thy brother shall trespass 
against thee/' that is, if your brother and fellow-Christian com- 
mits an evident sin against God's command, either against you 
or so that you see and behold the sin, "go and tell him his fault 
between thee and him alone." You should go to him (do you 
hear?) and in a kind manner seek to persuade him of his sin 
and to bring him back to the right course. This you should do 
in all love and patience. "If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained 
thy brother." This is the first degree of admonition in which we 
should deal with our erring brother. And in many instances the 
sinning brother will be gained in this degree. 

Xow the Lord Jesus continues: "If he will not hear thee, 
then take with thee one or two (brethren) more, that in the mouth 









2G1 

of two or three witnesses every word may be established." A deeper 
impression will be made upon your sinning brother, if not you 
only, but others also point out to him the danger in which his 
soul is. Here, too, much patience and love should be employed 
and the intention be uppermost to win the brother. — This is the 
second degree of admonition in which we should deal with our 
sinning brother. And in many instances the sinning brother will 
be gained in this degree. 

Our Lord Jesus continues : "If he shall neglect to hear them, 
tell it unto the Church." Then, together with your witnesses, 
go before the congregation, which by the pastor has been called 
to meet in regular assembly of its voting members, and there 
report the sin of your brother and all that has already been done 
to win him. And then the congregation should investigate the 
case, and if it becomes convinced of the sin of the brother, it 
should unitedly seek to win him with the Word of God. This will 
make the deepest impression upon the sinning brother, thus to be 
admonished by the entire congregation. And the congregation 
should exercise all love and patience. — This is the third degree 
of admonition in which we should deal with our sinning brother. 
And in many instances the sinning brother will be gained in this 
degree. 

Now the Lord Jesus continues: "If he neglect to hear the 
Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." 
Then he certainly is impenitent and no longer a Christian. 

In this way, as now shown from the Word of Christ, it can 
be established beyond doubt that a brother who has committed 
a manifest and evident sin against God's clear and indubitable 
Word, or is continuing in the same, is impenitent. 

Such a person the congregation should declare a heathen man 
and a publican, retain his sins and exclude him from the Christian 
Church. For Jesus, our Lord, says in the 18th and 20th verses 
of the above-named chapter : "Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever 
ye" (the congregation) "shall bind on earth shall be bound in 
heaven." And : "For where two or three are gathered together in 
my name, there am I in the midst of them." And the pastor is 
to publicly announce such judgment of the congregation. 

How dreadful, if it must come to this with a sinner ! For 
the Lord Jesus Christ says: "Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever 
ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." 
* * * 



262 

And yet such a "ban" — for so the exclusion or excommuni- 
cation from the Christian Church is called — is not intended for 
the perdition, but for the salvation of the soul of the impenitent. 
It is God's will that the impenitent, through the ban thus executed, 
should have a foretaste of the last and awful word of judgment 
which all who die impenitent must hear: "Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels," 
Matt. 25, 41. Hereof, I say, the ban is to give the impenitent a 
foretaste, a forewarning, that they may be wholesomely affrighted 
betimes, and repent and be saved. 

If one who is banned or excluded from the Christian Church 
repents, confesses his sins unto the Church, and promises to amend 
his ways, the congregation is to receive him as a brother, and the 
pastor should make public announcement thereof. 

In support of this I will tell you a short Bible story. 

In the time of Paul the Apostle there was a man in the con- 
gregation at Corinth who had taken his stepmother to wife. This 
was a manifest and evident sin against God's clear and manifest 
Word. It offended many Christians in Corinth and in other con- 
gregations. But the congregation at Corinth did not deal with 
him according to God's Word and did not exclude him, but con- 
tinued him in the congregation. Thereupon the Apostle wrote to 
the congregation as follows: "It is reported commonly that there 
is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much 
as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's 
wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that 
he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among 
you." And with many other words the Apostle rebuked the 
Corinthians and admonished them to do the right thing with this 
man, — "that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord 
Jesus." You may read this in 1 Cor. 5. The congregation at 
Corinth readily took the admonition and banned the man, who 
had proved to be an impenitent sinner. Then the man repented. 
Paul heard of it. And now he wrote again to the Corinthians and 
instructed them to receive the man as a brother. He wrote: 
"Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted 
of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, 
and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up 
with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would 
confirm your love toward him. To whom ye forgive anything, 



263 

I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, 
for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ." You may 
read this in 2 Cor. 2. 

Now I hope yon understand the Office of the Keys. 

O faithful God, we worship Thee ! 
Thou pardon'st our iniquity, 
Thou grantest help in sin's distress, 
And soul and body Thou dost bless. 

Thou through Thy servant say'st to me: 
"Thy sins are all forgiven thee, 
Depart in peace; but sin no more, 
And e'er my pardoning grace adore." 

Lord, we bless Thy gracious heart, 
For Thou Thyself dost heal our smart, 
Through Christ our Savior's precious blood 
Which for the sake of sinners flowed. 

Give us Thy Spirit, peace afford 
Now and forever, gracious Lord! 
Thy Word and holy Sacrament 
Preserve to us till life is spent. 



CHAPTER VII. 
Of Confession. 

By Confession we understand a peculiar divine service of the 
children of God. 

Let me first explain a few words we shall have to use in 
treating this subject: 

"Confession" is the act of confessing sins. 

"To confess" is to admit guilt of sin. 

"Confessor" is the name given to one who hears the confes- 
sion^ that is, to the pastor. 

"Absolution" is, pronouncing the remission of sin, or, for- 
giveness of sin. 

Wow, what is that peculiar divine service of the children of 
God which is called "Confession"? 

Luther says : "Confession embraces two parts : one is, that we 
confess our sins; the other,, that we receive absolution, or forgive- 
ness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no wise 
doubt, but firmly believe, that by it our sins are forgiven before 
God in heaven." 

I am sure you understand this, for it has been explained to 
you in the foregoing chapter. — 



264 

There are two forms of confession. First, Private Confession, 
and secondly, General Confession. 

Private Confession consists in this, that a Christian privately, 
that is, alone, goes to his pastor and before him confesses his sins 
and thereupon receives Absolution. There is special comfort ob- 
tained* in Private Confession. First, forgiveness is spoken to that 
Christian particularly and in person. And furthermore, a Chris- 
tian there has opportunity to confidentially tell his pastor of such 
sins as may above others weigh heavily upon his heart and burden 
his conscience, to get particular advice and consolation from the 
Word of God concerning them, and, finally, for just these sins 
receive forgiveness from the pastor as from God Himself. 

Such Private Confession is not in common use nowadays. 
This is to be lamented. It is due partly to the fact that we poor 
Christians have become laggard and lukewarm in our Christianity, 
and partly it is because it is feared that Private Confession might 
degenerate into the "auricular confession 77 of the Eoman Catholic 
church, which is made a torture and an abomination by the priests. 
For in "auricular confession" those who confess must name all 
their sins, and their most secret thoughts are inquired into; and 
if they forget or conceal a sin, they receive no absolution for it. 
Would to God that Private Confession of the proper kind would 
come into greater use again ! 

General Confession is as follows. The pastor announces a 
certain day and hour for the same. Those who wish to go to Con- 
fession come to him and give him their names, in order that he 
might know who they are, and that he might have opportunity to 
give them pastoral advice, and that he might make sure that no 
manifest and impenitent sinner is among them. And when at 
the appointed time the confessants have assembled, a hymn is 
sung, a prayer is spoken, and the pastor gives suitable instruction 
from the Word of God. Hereupon he exhorts the confessing con- 
gregation to bow their knees before God and to join him in a con- 
fessional prayer about as follows : — 

"0 Almighty God, merciful Father, I, a poor, miserable sin- 
ner, confess unto Thee all my sins and iniquities with which I have 
ever offended Thee and justly deserved Thy punishment in time 
and eternity. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely 
repent of them, and I pray Thee, of Thy boundless mercy and for 
the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter suffering and death of Thy 



265 

beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a 
poor sinful being. Amen." 

Then the pastor rises and addresses the following question 
to the congregation which is still kneeling: 

"And now I ask you before God, Is this the sincere confession 
of all of you, that you heartily repent of your sins, believe on 
Jesus Christ, and sincerely and earnestly purpose by the assistance 
of God the Holy Ghost henceforth to amend your sinful lives; 
then declare so by saying, Yes." 

The persons confessing answer, "Yes." 

Then the pastor announces the holy Absolution as follows : 

"Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a 
called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of 
God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my 
Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the name of God 
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen." 

The confessional service is then concluded with a hymn, 
prayer, and benediction. 

Wherever, as in most places, this General Confession is in 
vogue, the persons confessing should know that God is present, 
and before God they should truly confess their sins, before God 
they should truly answer, Yes, and they should receive the Abso- 
lution spoken by the pastor as from God Himself. — 

In his Small Catechism Luther puts the question: "What 
sins should we confess?" 

And he answers : "Before God we should plead guilty of all 
sins, even of those which we do not know, as we do in the Lord's 
Prayer; but before the confessor we should confess those sins only 
which we know and feel in our hearts." 

In saying: "Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, 
even of those which we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer," 
Luther means this: 

When we go to confession, we should confess before God that 
we have not kept any of His commandments, and should therefore 
plead guilty of all sins. This we do daily in the Fifth Petition 
of the Lord's Prayer, where we say : "Forgive us our trespasses !" 
And though we may not perceive this in every particular, yet we 
should believe and know that it is so : we are guilty of all sins. 
We should say as David said: "Who can understand his errors? 
Oleanse Thou me from secret faults," Ps. 19, 12. 



266 

But before the confessor, in Private Confession, or in the 
announcement to Confession, we should confess those sins only 
which we know and feel in our hearts; as I have explained. 

Now let me seriously call your attention to one thing. If you 
have in any way grieved or offended your neighbor, you must 
confess this sin unto him also and ask his forgiveness. If you 
refuse to do this, you thereby prove that likewise you do not truly 
plead guilty of your sins before God, and that your confession is 
a mockery, and that you will not accept and receive the Absolution 
in true faith. — Will you note this ? — It is written : "Confess 
your faults one to another," James 5, 16. And our Lord Jesus 
says: "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest 
that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before 
the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and 
then come and offer thy gift," Mart. 5, 23. 24. This was spoken 
primarily of the Old Testament divine service, in which sacrifices 
were made. You should apply it as follows: If, through the 
Office of the Keys, you desire forgiveness, and then remember that 
you are not reconciled to your brother, go and first be reconciled 
to your brother, and then come unto the Office of the Keys. Is 
this not clear? — 

Since in Confession you want to confess your sins and receive 
forgiveness for them, it becomes necessary that you should pre- 
viously examine yourself, in order that you might know your sins 
aright. Dr. Luther gives the following excellent instruction for 
self-examination before Confession. He says: "Here consider 
your station according to the Ten Commandments, whether you 
are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, servant; 
whether you have been disobedient, unfaithful, slothful; whether 
you have grieved any person by word or deed; whether you have 
stolen, neglected, or wasted aught, or done other injury." 

So you should consider in what station and calling you are. 
And then you should take the Ten Commandments and examine 
yourself according to them, to see whether in your station and 
calling you have done what the Ten Commandments require of you. 
You will then find plenty of sins, no matter who you are. Be 
truly sorry for your sins, go to Confession, confess them, and re- 
ceive the holy Absolution, and then depart cheerfully and amend 
your life. 



267 

The so-called Beformed church and its daughter churches 
(Methodists, Evangelical Association, Presbyterians, Congrega- 
tionalists, Baptists, etc.) deny the right doctrine of the Office of 
the Keys and of Confession, even as they deny that of Baptism. 
They claim that God's Word merely says and relates that God 
would forgive the sins of the penitent; but that God does not 
actually forgive sins through His Word, and that God has not 
instituted an office through which sins are forgiven or retained. 
According to their notion a man must obtain the certainty of the 
forgiveness of his sins in other ways, through his feelings, or in 
some similar way. Thus they rob themselves of a great and firm 
consolation, and build upon sand. 

May the faithful God grant you to know that through His 
Word and the Office of the Keys He truly gives you the forgive- 
ness of sins, and in faith to firmly and cheerfully comfort yourself 

therewith. 

This is the Power of Holy Keys, 
It binds and doth again release; 
The Church retains them at her side, 
Our mother and Christ's holy bride. 

Let those who stings of conscience bear, 
Whom sin would drive to dark despair, 
To Jesus come with trustful mind 
And peace in Absolution find. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
Of the Lord's Supper, 



This is the subject of the Sixth Chief Paet of the Catechism. 

The Lord's Supper is the second Sacrament. 

It is also called the Lord's Table, the Breaking of Bread, 
the Sacrament of the Altar, the Holy Supper, the Eucharist, Holy 
Communion. 

I will first show you 

How the Lord's Supper Was Instituted. 

In the night in which He was betrayed, in the night before 
His bitter suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ for the last 
time ate the Passover with His disciples. 



268, 

Do you remember what the Passover was ? A lamb was slain. 
With the blood of the lamb the two side-posts and the upper door- 
posts of the houses were stricken. The lamb was roasted, and 
eaten together with unleavened bread. This was done in remem- 
brance of the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt, as 
jow may read in the 13th chapter of Part One of this book. And 
this was also done to prefigure the fact that Christ, the Messiah, 
should be sacrificed for us, and that through faith we should 
appropriate unto us the fruit of His suffering and death, which 
is given us in the Word and Sacraments, in order that the judg- 
ment of God might pass over us poor sinners. (Hence "Pass- 
over.") And this was the second Sacrament of the Old Testament. 

This our Lord Jesus Christ celebrated together with His dis- 
ciples in the night in which He was betrayed. 

As they sat down to eat the Paschal or Easter lamb our Lord 
Jesus said : "With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with 
you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat 
thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God/' So this was 
to be the last prefiguring Paschal meal. Now its fulfillment was 
to come in the kingdom of God. Now He, the true Lamb of God, 
that taketh away the sins of the world, was to be sacrificed. 

After the Passover had been eaten, our Lord Jesus did some- 
thing else, something new and peculiar. 

He took bread, gave thanks, broke it into pieces, and gave it 
to His disciples, saying as He did so, "Take, eat !" Then He said : 
"This is my body, which is given for you : this do in remem- 
brance of me." 

After the same manner also He took the cup, — filled with 
wine, which, according to ancient usage, was passed around at 
the Passover, — gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying : "Take, 
drink ye all of it !" As the cup was passed around and the dis- 
ciples were drinking, the Lord repeatedly said words the sum 
of which is this: "This is my blood of the New Testament, 

WHICH IS SHED FOR YOU FOR THE REMISSION" OF SINS. This do ye 

as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." Matt. 26, 26 — 28; 
Mark 14,^22—24; Luke 22, 19. 20; 1 Cor. 11, 21—25. 

Thus our Lord Jesus instituted a new, a New Testament 
Supper, a Supper of fulfillment, in place of the Old Testament, 
the prefiguring Paschal meal. 

Understand this correctly! 



269 

As the Lord Jesus Christ stepped in place of the prefiguring 
Paschal lamb and gave His body into death for our sins, and shed 
His blood for us for the remission of sins, even so now in place 
of the prefiguring lamb He gave unto us Christians this His body, 
given for us, and this His Mood, shed for us, that we might eat 
and drink it under the consecrated bread and wine. 

How this is done we can by no means understand, nor should 
we brood over it and seek to understand it. We believe it to be so 
because the Lord Jesus says so in the plainest of words. 

And in this Supper we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and 
salvation, for His body and blood is given and shed for us for the 
forgiveness of sins, as He expressly states. 

In order to receive and to have and to hold and to enjoy this 
grace, we should, as often as we celebrate this Supper, remember 
Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, in faith, as He commands. 

And we should keep this feast "not with the leaven of malice 
and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and 
truth," 1 Cor. 5, 8. 

And we should be as they who are in haste to reach their 
heavenly home. 

This, briefly, is the institution of the Lord's Supper, concern- 
ing which, however, I want to tell you more. 

From Egypt do ice pass to-day, 
From cruel Pharao's tyrant sway; 
The Paschal Lamb in truth we take 
In wine we drink and bread we break. 
Hallelujah ! 

We also eat unleavened bread, 
As Moses to his people said; 
No leaven shall among us be, 
From willful sin we shall live free. 
Hallelujah ! 

Th' avenging angel passes o'er, 
The firstborn shall he slay no more; 
Our doors are stricken with Christ's blood: 
That keeps from us the wrath of God. 
Hallelujah ! 

* * ♦ 

After having briefly described this Sacrament to you and the 
institution of the Lord's Supper, I will now speak more fully 
about it in detail, that you may become firm in the faith in this 
wonderful Sacrament. 



. 270 

Firstly, What Is the Lord's Supper? 

What is it that you there eat and drink? 

Dr. Luther asks: "What is the Sacrament of the Altar ?" 

His answer is: "It is the true body and blood of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat 
and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself." 

And he asks: "Where is this written?" 

And he answers: "The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and St. Paul, write thus: 

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was be- 
trayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, 
and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, 
which is given for you: this do, in remembrance of me. After 
the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave 
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Take, drink ye all of it; 
this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you 
for the remission of sins : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in 
remembrance of me." 

These words of institution are recorded in Holy Scriptures 
four times that they might be the more clear and certain and im- 
portant to us. 

And these words were spoken, and this Sacrament was insti- 
tuted, by our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, the True, the All- 
wise, the Almighty. He knows what He says; and whatever He 
says and promises He does and fulfills in truth. For He is able 
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we think. 

The external, visible things and signs given us in this Sacra- 
ment, given us to eat and to drink, are bread and wine: bread, 
prepared of flour; and wine, of the fruit of the vine. 

But what does Christ give us under these external things 
and signs in the Holy Supper? 

In, with, and under the bread He gives us His true body; 
in, with, and under the wine He gives us His true blood. For so 
He says. — 

God's pity! Again I must speak of false teachers and false 
doctrine. 

In the Eeformed church and all its daughter churches (Metho- 
dists, Evangelical Association, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, 
Baptists, etc.) they teach that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: 
""This is my body, this is my blood" — are not to be taken in their 



271 

proper sense, but figuratively. In these churches they teach that 
bread and wine are mere emblems of Christ's body and blood and 
merely represent Christ's body and blood, so that under the bread 
and wine we only receive the figurative body and blood of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and not His true body and His true blood. In 
these churches they teach that the Holy Supper has this meaning : 
As surely as we on earth with our mouths receive bread and wine, 
so surely the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the fruit of His suffering 
and death, if in taking the bread and wine we turn to Him in 
faith and remember Him. For, so say these churches, the body 
and blood of Christ the Lord is not on earth, but confined to some 
place far away in heaven. 

But I say to you: The body and blood of our Lord Jesus 
Christ is on earth and in all places wherever He Himself is. You 
have learned this in the loth chapter of Part Two of this book, 
from the Word of God. Jesus Christ, God and man, is with us 
always, even unto the end of the world. Where two or three are 
gathered together in His name, there is He in the midst of them. 
He ascended far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. 
Certainly our blind reason cannot grasp this. 

And now : Why is it inadmissible to take the words, "This 
is my body," and, "This is my blood," in an improper or figurative 
sense, as these churches do? 

1. Because Christ expressly says that He distributes t$ us that 
body which is given for us. and that blood which is shed for us. 
An emblem, or sign, of His body and blood has not been given 
and shed for us, but His true body and His true blood. 

2. Because St. Paul expressly says, "The cup of blessing 
which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? 
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body 
of Christ?" 1 Cor. 10, 16. Hence the body and blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ is distributed with the bread and wine. And the 
same Apostle says: "Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink 
this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and 
blood of the Lord," 1 Cor. 11, 27. Hence the body and blood of 
the Lord must be with the bread and the wine, and profanely 
taken by the unworthy. 

3. Because said words are words of an institution of a divine 
ordinance and words of a divine testament. 



272 

For these reasons we may not twist and misconstrue these 
words, may not take them in an improper or figurative sense, but 
must take them as they stand, saying as they do that in the Holy 
Supper Christ gives us His true body and His true blood in, with, 
and under the bread and wine. 

And now comes the Eoman Catholic church, the church of 
the Pope. 

This teaches firstly, that in the Lord's Supper bread and wine 
no longer remain, but are changed into the body and blood of 
Christ. For, say they, Christ, in giving the bread and wine to His 
disciples, said: "This is my body, this is my blood;" hence, 
say they, bread and wine have been changed into Christ's body 
and blood. 

But St. Paul expressly teaches that while the Lord's Supper 
is being eaten and drunk the bread is still bread and the wine 
is still wine. For he says: "As often as ye eat this bread, and 
drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come. But 
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and 
drink of that cup" 1 Cor. 11, 26. 28. And, as stated above, he 
says: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the com- 
munion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it 
not the communion of the body of Christ?" 1 Cor. 10, 16. Hence 
in the Lord's Supper the bread is still bread and the wine is still 
wine; but in, with, and under the bread and wine Christ's body 
and blood is given. — When the Apostle says, John 1, 14 : "The 
Word" (the Son of God) "was made flesh" (man) — does he 
therewith say that the Son of God was changed into a man? 
What a folly ! So in this place the talk about change or "tran- 
substantiation" is folly. 

The Eoman Catholic church furthermore teaches that the 
bread of the Lord's Supper must be worshiped, "adored" since it 
no longer is bread, but is changed into the body of the Lord. 

But as the bread of the Lord's Supper is not changed, so it 
is not to be adored. The Lord Jesus Christ expressly tells us what 
He wants us to do with the bread and wine in the Holy Supper. 
We should eat and drink it that in, with, and under the same we 
might receive the Lord's body and blood. 

The Eoman Catholic church furthermore teaches that the 
bread, changed into the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, is to be 
offered, ever again, as an unbloody sacrifice for the sins of the 



273 

living and the dead. This is the service of the "mass," or rather 
of idolatry, in the Eoman Catholic church. 

Yes, this is an abomination. "For by one offering He hath 
perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now where remission 
of these is, there is no more offering for sin," Hebr. 10, 14. 18. 

Lastly the Eoman Catholic church mutilates the Lord's Supper 
by refusing the wine to the communicants and only giving them 
the bread. Shamelessly they teach that it is not necessary to dis- 
tribute the wine, since the body of Christ, distributed under the 
semblance of bread, already contains blood. But most expressly 
did our Lord say: "Drink ye all of it!" And Mark 14, 23 we 
read: "And they all drank of it." 

May this suffice as regards false teachers and doctrines. As 
you do in all doctrines of faith, so do also in the Lord's Supper: 
follow the clear Word of God. Then you cannot be deceived or 
go astray. — 

Let me tell you a little more about the eating and drinking 
in the Lord's Supper. 

You there eat and drink bread and wine with the mouth of 
the body in a most natural manner, just as other food. Together 
with the oral eating and drinking of the bread and wine you re- 
ceive the body and blood of Christ. But in this act you take the 
body and blood of Christ in a sacramental manner, that is, in a 
manner obtaining nowhere but only in the Sacrament : in a super- 
natural manner, the like of which is found nowhere, and which 
no man can understand or find out. And if the Lord's Supper is 
to be a blessing unto you, you must also eat and drink it in a 
spiritual manner, that is, in true faith, as I shall explain more 
fully later on. — 

This Sacrament should be administered in the Christian 
Church forever, unto the day of judgment, and under the con- 
secrated . bread and wine the body and blood of our Lord Jesus 
Christ should be eaten and drunk. This Christ commands when 
He says, "This do in remembrance of me. This do, as oft as ye 
drink it, in remembrance of me." And the Holy Spirit speaks 
thus through the Apostle Paul to all Christians : "As often as ye 
eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death 
till He come," 1 Cor. 11, 26. 

Our Lord's Supper, the Lord's Supper which is distributed 
in the Christian churches, truly is the Lord's Supper and the true 
18 



274 

Lord's Supper only ivlien it is administered according to Christ's 
institution. 

How is this? 

In this order: 

Let those who wish to partake of the Holy Supper announce 
themselves with their called servant of the Word, the pastor, — 
for thus only may the pastor know whether any or what Christians 
desire to receive the holy Sacrament at any one time. Then the 
pastor should, first of all, provide bread and wine, or cause others 
to provide it. Then he should bless or consecrate the bread and 
wine in the presence of the communicants, that is, he should speak 
the words over it with which Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. 
For the Word of God, and that word of God which pertains to 
just this thing, must, as you have learned, be connected with the 
external elements which Christ has commanded, if there is to 
be a Sacrament. Then the pastor should distribute the bread and 
wine, and the communicants should eat and drink it. And finally 
the congregation, through its pastor, should confess that the body 
and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is received under the con- 
secrated bread and wine. 

Wherever these parts are not found, or where any one of them 
is wanting, there is no Lord's Supper. For it is only where all 
these parts are found that the Lord's Supper is administered ac- 
cording to Christ's institution. Take good care, therefore, that 
the Lord's Supper is so administered in your church. — 

The Lord's Supper should not be received once only, like 
Baptism, but often. Hereto we should be prompted by Christ's 
command. For He says in the words of the institution: "This 
do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." And the Holy 
Spirit says through Paul the Apostle: "As often as ye eat this 
bread and drink this cup," 1 Cor. 11, 26. Furthermore we should 
be prompted thereto by Christ's promise, which tells us what grace 
He wants to give us in the Lord's Supper, whereof I shall speak 
in the next paragraph. Thirdly we should be prompted thereto 
by the trouble, the trouble of sin, which still lies heavily upon us 
and which is taken away in the Lord's Supper, as you will likewise 
see in the next paragraph. Therefore we are told of the first 
Christians at Jerusalem: "They continued steadfastly in the 
Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread" (the 
Lord's Supper), "and in prayer," Acts 2, 42. May God help }^ou 
to do likewise ! 






275 

Thou say'st: "This is my body; eat, 
And orally receive me! 
This is my blood; drink all of it, 
And henceforth never leave me!" 
What Thou hast spoken true must be 
Thou art almighty, and with Thee 
Impossible is nothing. 

Although my reason cannot see 
How in so many places 
Thy body at a time may be, 
Yet faith Thy Word embraces. 
How it can be I leave to Thee, 
Thy Word alone sufficeth me, 
For Thou wilt that we trust it. 



Secondly, of the Benefit oe the Lord's Supper. 

Dr. Luther says: "What is the benefit of such eating and 
drinking ?" 

And he answers: "That is shown us by these words, 'Given, 
and shed for you for the remission of sins;' namely, that in the 
Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us 
through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, 
there also is life and salvation." 

If you wish to know what benefit a medicine that is offered 
to you is expected to give you, you will ask why the doctor is 
giving it to you. And when you ask, What is the benefit of the 
eating and drinking of the body and blood of the Lord under the 
bread and wine? you should ask why the Lord Jesus Christ gave 
you His body and His blood. In answer you hear the words : 
"Given, and shed for you for the remission of sins." So from these 
words you know that in the Lord's Supper forgiveness of sins is 
given you through the eating and drinking of the body and blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine. And this 
forgiveness of sins is given you in the Sacrament through these 
words. For what Jesus, our Lord, says and promises He also does. 

But these words say nothing of life and salvation, and 
Dr. Luther says that also life and salvation is given you through 
these words. How is this? 

Dr. Luther rightly says: "Where there is forgiveness of sins, 
there is also life and salvation/' 

With His body which on the cross He gave into death for us, 
and with His blood which He shed for us, the Lord Jesus Christ 



276 

has purchased forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation for all men. 
This body and this blood the Lord now in the Holy. Supper gives 
to every one that eats and drinks, as a seal of the remission of his 
sins and of life and salvation. 

The body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of G-od, 
is the precious ransom wherewith the Lord redeemed the whole 
world, purchased and won it from all sins, from death, and from 
the power of the Devil. This precious ransom the Lord Jesus in 
the Holy Supper gives to every one that eats and drinks, that such 
a person might have and hold it as his actual personal property. 
So it is clear that in the Holy Supper the Lord Jesus Christ gives 
to everyone that eats and drinks His body and His blood — to 
what end? Unto the most certain assurance of the forgiveness of 
his sins, of life and salvation. 

How mightily is our poor faith strengthened by partaking of 
the Lord's Supper! 

Must not this wonderful grace of God which we experience 
in the Lord's Supper serve towards furthering us in holiness of 
life, wherewith we praise and honor God for His grace? 

And, taking the Lord's Supper in common with our fellow- 
Christians, how greatly must the Christian love to our brethren 
and sisters in Christ the Lord be quickened and strengthened ! 
For here the word applies: "For we being many are one oread, 
and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread," 1 Cor. 
10, 17. We are all partakers of the body and blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ through the Holy Supper, and are thereby united 
with one another a thousand times more closely than by near bodily 
relationship. 

And, finally, by such joint partaking of the Lord's Supper we 
witness publicly that we are of one faith. Hence, of course, we 
should commune only with those who are with us in the com- 
munion of the one true faith and confession. 

I hope that now you know what is the benefit of such eating 

and drinking. 

n Living Bread from heaven, 

How hast Thou fed Thy guest! 
The gifts Thou now hast given 
Have filled my heart with rest. 
wondrous food of blessing! 
O cup that heals our woes! 
My heart, this gift possessing, 
In thankful song o'erflows. 



277 

My Lord, Thou here hast led me 
Within Thy holiest place, 
And there Thyself hast fed me 
With treasures of Thy grace: 
And Thou hast freely given 
What earth could never buy, 
The Bread of Life from heaven, 
That now I shall not die. 



Thirdly, of the Power of the Lord's Supper. 

Dr. Luther asks: "How can bodily eating and drinking do 
such great things ?" 

And he answers : "It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, 
that does them, but the words here written, 'Given, and shed for 
you for the remission of sins;' which words, beside the bodily 
eating and drinking, are as the chief thing in the Sacrament; and 
he that believes these words has what they say and express, namely, 
forgiveness of sins." 

Let us consider these words a little. 

When you consider that through the eating and drinking in 
the Holy Supper forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given 
you, you are inclined to ask : How can bodily eating and drinking 
do such great things? 

In answer to this we must say: It is not the eating and 
drinking, indeed, that does them. That would be an altogether 
carnal, coarse, rude, and heathenish opinion, to hold that by mere 
eating and drinking we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salva- 
tion. Whoever presents this as our opinion wrongs us greatly. 

And yet, through the eating and drinking in the Holy Supper 
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us. What is the 
correct understanding of this? 

Through the divine words: "Gfiven, and shed for you for the 
remission of sins," these great things are placed into the Lord's 
Supper and offered to every one who there eats and drinks — just 
as through the divine Word the selfsame things are put into holy 
Baptism and offered to every one that is baptized. Therefore 
these divine words, beside the bodily eating and drinking, are as 
the chief thing in the Sacrament. 

But does everyone who eats and drinks the Lord's Supper 
receive and hold and possess these great things: forgiveness of 
sins, life, and salvation? 



278 

No, indeed ! This, too, would be a very carnal, a very coarse, 
rude, and heathenish opinion to hold. And also he who represents 
this as. our opinion wrongs us greatly. 

It is this way : — 

It is true that every one to whom the Sacrament is imparted 
according to Christ's instruction receives the body and blood of 
Christ under the bread and wine. Thereby to everyone is offered 
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. But only he receives, holds, 
and possesses these great things in faith who believes these words: 
"Given, and shed for you for the remission of sins." Wherever 
God, through the means of grace, gives and offers to us forgiveness 
of sins, life, and salvation, there we should believe, and in faith 
accept. Otherwise we clo not really have what God gives us. 

Lord, I believe in simple trust, 

Strength in my weakness give me, 

For I am naught but sinful dust, 

Nor of Thy Word bereave me! 

Thy Baptism, Supper, and Thy Word, 

My consolation are, Lord, 

For they contain my treasure. 



Fourthly, of the Salutary Use of the Lord's Supper. 

From the preceding paragraph it must be clear to you that 
the mere outward partaking of this Sacrament is not sufficient. 
It must also be received rightly and worthily, if we would receive 
the great and salutary benefit offered to us through it. 

This is what Dr. Luther would impress upon us, and he there- 
fore lastly asks: "Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily?" 

And his answer is : "Fasting and bodily preparation is, indeed, 
a fine outward training; but he is truly worthy and well prepared 
who has faith in these words, "Given, and shed for you for the 
remission of sins. But he that does not believe these words, or 
doubts, is unworthy and unprepared; for the words, Tor you/ 
require all hearts to believe." 

Let us consider what Luther here says. 

What prompted Luther to treat in a separate question of the 
true worthiness with which men should partake of the Lord's Sup- 
per, was doubtless the word of the Holy Ghost which He spoke 
by St. Paul the Apostle : "Let a man examine himself, and so let 
him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth 



279 

and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to him- 
self, not discerning the Lord's body/' 1 Cor. 11, 28. 29. 

Just see how pressingly the Holy Ghost demands that we 
should partake of the Lord's Supper with true worthiness ! We 
should first carefully examine ourselves, says He, as to whether 
we are truly worthy to receive this most sacred Sacrament. For, 
says He, he that receives the Holy Supper unworthily, eateth and 
drinketh damnation to himself, because he thoughtlessly and in- 
solently profanes the body and blood of the Lord which is offered 
to him in the Holy Supper, and which he there receives under the 
consecrated bread, even as the blood of the Lord under the con- 
secrated cup. 

Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily? 

To fast beforehand and prepare one's self bodily, to appear 
modestly and reverently at the Lord's Table, — all this is indeed 
a fine training and a commendable custom. But all this is merely 
something outward, which the h} r pocrite and the wicked may per- 
form as well. 

Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily? 

Only and exclusively he is truly worthy and well prepared 
who has faith in these words: "Given, and shed for you for the 
remission of sins." 

Jesus is the Savior of sinners. He has purchased forgiveness 
of sins, life, and salvation for us poor sinners. He offers us this 
grace and these gifts through the means of grace, — also in . the 
Lord's Supper through those glorious words : "Given, and shed 
for you for the remission of sins." Any miserable sinner whatever 
that believes these words and with faith in these words comes to 
the Lord's Supper that he might receive the forgiveness .of sins, 
life, and salvation through Jesus Christ, is truly worthy and well 
prepared. There is no other worthiness. Our dear Lord demands 
no other worthiness. Eejoice, sinner ! You need but believe 
that the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is given for you 
for the remission of sins. And thus you should come, come to 
the Lord's Supper, and there receive the body and blood of the 
Lord under the consecrated bread and wine, unto forgiveness of 
sins, life, and salvation. Yes, thus you are truly worthy and well 
prepared. 

But he that does not believe these words: "Given, and shed 
for you for the remission of sins," or doubts them; he that pro- 



280 

fanely despises the Lord Jesus Christ; or he that means to work 
out his own salvation, without the Lord Jesus Christ, by his own 
righteousness and good works; or he that is indifferent about his 
sins and the Lord Jesus Christ ; or he that says in his heart, Who 
knows whether there is any truth in all this story about Jesus, 
the Savior of sinners ! — or he that approaches the Lord's Supper 
for mere appearance' sake and in hypocrisy : — he is unworthy and 
unprepared. For the blessed, gracious, inviting divine words : "For 
you'' require all hearts to believe. 

Therefore, examine yourself before approaching the Lord's 
Table, as to whether you may worthily receive this Sacrament. 

Examine yourself whether you repent of your sins. For 
without true repentance of your sins you cannot have true faith 
in the words : "Given, and shed for you for the remission of sins." 

Examine yourself whether you believe in Jesus Christ, who 
gave His body and shed His blood for you for the remission of 
sins, and who gives you His body and His blood in the Holy 
Supper unto the remission of sins. 

Examine yourself whether you have the good and earnest pur- 
pose, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, henceforth to mend your 
sinful life. For without such purpose neither your repentance nor 
your faith can be true. 

To lead you to such self-examination our church observes the 
custom of holding confessional or preparatory services before the 
administration of the Lord's Supper, wherein you are admonished 
unto such self-examination. 

I repeat: Before you approach the Lord's Table, examine 
yourself whether you receive the Sacrament worthily, that is, 
whether you have the true faith of miserable sinners in these words : 
"Given, and shed for you for the remission of sins." 

By such self-examination you may find that your faith is 
weak; that you are tempted and tormented with unbelief; that 
your faith is like a bruised reed which,. weak and withered, droops 
its head instead of striving upward in jubilant strength; that your 
faith is -like a smoking flax that gives but a little light and is all 
but quenched. Then in misery and despair you might say : "Alas, 
may I, too, approach the Lord's Table ? Oh, I dare not ! Cer- 
tainly I am not worthy and well prepared ! Will the dear Lord 
accept one as miserable as myself? If only I had a strong true 
faith in my Savior and in all His grace !" 



281 

May you go to the Lord's Supper when in such a condition? 

Certainly ! Most assuredly ! Those particularly who are weak 
in faith are to come to the Lord's Supper, that their faith may be 
strengthened, for the Lord's Supper makes the faith strong. Even 
as the sick should go to the physician and take medicine, so should 
the sick in faith come to the Lord Jesus Christ and partake of the 
Holy Supper. 

"Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine unbelief !" — thus, of a 
time, a man said to Jesus. And the Lord helped him. Mark 9, 24. 
So should you likewise speak when in weak faith you come to the 
Lord's Supper. And the Lord will help you — through the Holy 
Supper. 

"The meek shall eat and be satisfied," says the Holy G-host, 
Ps. 22, 26. Apply this to the Lord's Supper. 

"A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking -flax 
shall He not quench," says the Holy Ghost, Is. 42, 3. "Him that 
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," says the Lord Jesus, 
John 6, 37. Here you have God's answer to the question: May 
those who are weak in faith approach the Lord's Table? 

But the Lord's Supper must be denied, 1) to such as are 
known to be ungodly and impenitent. You know that. For their 
sins would not be forgiven but retained. And Jesus, our Lord, 
says: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast 
ye your pearls before swine," Matt. 7, 6. 

The Lord's Supper must be denied, 2) to the heterodox, that 
is, to those who do not confess the true, but a wrong faith. Be 
sure to understand. Such heterodox may be believing children of 
God. The false doctrines may cling to them merely from the 
wrong instruction they have received. But since the joint par- 
taking of the Lord's Supper is a token and testimony of the unity 
of faith, the heterodox must not partake of the Lord's Supper 
together with us — nor we together with them. Should, for in- 
stance, a member of a Eeformed church be permitted to go to the 
Lord's Supper with us, even though he does not believe that in 
the Lord's Supper the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 
is given and received, and, furthermore, does not believe that 
thereby we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation? Cer- 
tainly not. We do not judge or condemn such a person. For all 
his false doctrine he may be a child of God. But we cannot go 



282 

to the Lord's Supper with him. And least of all may we go to 
the Lord's Supper in a Eeformed church. Is not this plain? 

The Lord's Supper must be denied, 3) to such as have given- 
offense and have not yet made amends. By an "offense" we mean 
any word or deed by which others are tempted to sin; a stum- 
bling-block. If any one has given such offense, he should first 
remove it, make amends for it. A Christian will gladly do this. 
A Christian will certainly not persist in a thing whereby others 
are tempted to sin ! 

The Lord's Supper must be denied, 4) to such as are not 
able to examine themselves, as, for instance, children, and per- 
sons lying in a state of unconsciousness, and the totally insane. 
Baptized children are the children of God. But they must first 
learn the Word of God before they are able to examine themselves 
in accordance with the demands of the Holy Spirit. Then shall 
they be admitted to the Lord's Supper. And if there is faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of the unconscious and the 
totally insane, they are saved, even though they are not in a con- 
dition to receive the Lord's Supper. 

May the faithful and merciful God grant you His Holy 
Spirit that in the Lord's Supper you may at all times in true 
faith, under the bread and wine, receive the body and the blood 
of your beloved Savior unto the forgiveness of sins, life, and 
salvation, and unto the abundant strengthening of your faith, 
which here on earth is constantly tempted. 

Hasten as a bride to meet Him, 
And with loving reverence greet Him, 
For with words of life immortal 
Now He knoeketli at thy portal; 
Haste to ope the gates before Him, 
Saying, while thou dost adore Him, 
"Suffer, Lord, that I receive Thee, 
And I never more will leave Thee." 

Sun, who all my life dost brighten, 
Light, who dost my soul enlighten, 
Joy, the sweetest man e'er knoweth, 
Fount, whence all my being floweth, — 
At Thy feet I cry, my Maker, 
Let me be a fit partaker 
Of this blessed food from heaven, 
For our good, Thy glory, given. 



283 

CHAPTER IX. 

A Few Closing Remarks on Confirmation. 

Children who are born of truly Christian parents are straight- 
way brought to holy Baptism where they are born again of the 
water and the Spirit, so that now they are believing and dear 
children of God and heirs of eternal life. 

Now, even as these children are nourished bodily with milk 
and other food, that they might not die, but live and grow and 
become strong and sturdy, so must they, likewise, as soon as it 
can be done, be nourished spiritually with the milk and food of 
God's Word. If this is not done, they die spiritually, and cannot 
grow and become strong and sturdy in faith, nor can they inherit 
eternal life. Therefore Christian parents must make it their 
most solemn concern to make their baptized children strong and 
sturdy in faith unto eternal life by means of the Word of God. 

What are they to do to effect this? 

They should relate to their children the beautiful and divinely 
powerful Bible stories in all simplicity, cause them to love and 
esteem their Savior, and teach them to pray. 

Wherever it is at all possible they should send their children 
to a truly Christian school, wherein the children are instructed 
by Christian teachers in the doctrines of the divine and saving 
Word, as well as in the various useful branches of knowledge. 
Wherever this cannot by any means be done the parents should 
be careful, and most energetically careful, to have their children 
instructed daily and regularly in the Word of God. 

As the children grow up the parents should put them under 
the instruction of the pastor, that he, as watching over their 
souls, might rehearse the entire doctrine of God's Word with 
them and make the children firm in the true faith. 

After all this is done, our church, following an old and com- 
mendable custom, places the children before the congregation, has 
them give an account of the faith that is in them, and confess the 
same, whereupon the benediction is pronounced upon them before 
the congregation, and they are hereafter admitted to the Lord's 
Supper as such that are able to examine themselves. 

This is called Confirmation. Thus children are confirmed. 

To "confirm" means to make firm, that is, to make firm in 
the faith. 



284 

The principal thing in Confirmation is not the public ceremony 
just mentioned as being very commendable, but in Confirmation 
the principal thing is the careful instruction in the Word of God, 
by which the children should previously, as stated above, be con- 
firmed, made firm, in faith. Unless such right instruction in the 
Word of God has gone before, the final public ceremony of Con- 
firmation is a hollow and profane show. 



May you too, dear reader, be made firm, confirmed, in faith 
through this 'book, that you, too, might give account of the faith 
that is in you, cheerfuly confess the same, and be a true member 
of the Church of God here in time and hereafter in eternity. May 
God graciously grant this for Christ's sake ! Amen. 

Lord, grant that we e'er pure retain 
The catechismal doctrine plain, 
As Luther taught the heavenly truth 
In simple words to tender youth. 

That we Thy holy Law may know 
And mourn our sin and all its woe, 
And yet believe in Father, Son, 
And Holy Spirit, Three in One. 

That we on Thee, our Father, call 
Who canst and wilt give help to all; 
That as Thy children we may live, 
Whom Thou in Baptism didst receive. 

That, if we fall, we rise again, 

Repentingly confess our sin, 

And take the Sacrament in faith; — ; 

Amen. God grant a happy death! 



